Comparing the Issue of Homelessness in Budapest and Helsinki

Absztrakt (kivonat)

This thesis explores the problem of homelessness in Budapest and Helsinki. It compares and contrasts the situation that homeless people face in the two cities as well as the policies and services that are provided in both cities. It aims to see what type of solution is the most effective and influential in the field of helping the homeless. First, homelessness is discussed in a more general term, focusing on the history of homelessness. It later looks at specific institutions and organizations that aim to help the homeless. The two cities have a very different take on solving the problem of homeless. Finland’s national program of Housing first policy is a very fast solution of providing homeless people with stable apartments without asking them to make any life changes. Hungarian organizations however, have a more layered and less stable approach to helping the homeless. They provide temporary shelters as accommodation instead of stable apartments and their services have several more steps and require the homeless people to put more effort into turning their life around. In order to compare and contrast the two different methods, semi structured interviews have been conducted by heads of institutions and organizations in both cities, as well as a Hungarian author who spent several months living with homeless people in Budapest. Questionnaires have also been sent out to both Helsinki and Budapest residents to investigate the public opinion and views about homelessness in both cities. The results of the interviews and questionnaires are analyzed and discussed. Finally, a conclusion is made about the topic and a decision is made about the question regarding which type of solution is the most effective in aiding the homeless population.