Upload
feantsa
View
423
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given by Sirkka-Liisa Karkainen, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland at a FEANTSA Research Conference on "Homelessness and Poverty", Paris, France, 2009
Citation preview
18/9 2009 1
One person households with low incomes - a growing challenge to the Finnish housing policy and social
policy Sirkka-Liisa Kärkkäinen
European Research Conference, Homelessness and Poverty in EuropeParis, 18th of September 2009
18/9 2009 2
The summary of the presentation
1. The number of one person households increases every year – in every age group. Why does the "housing career" of these groups develop?
2. Two thirds of these people live in blocks of flats in small dwellings. A half live in rental housing.
3. The housing production and the housing policy cannot satisfy the housing demands of this group.
4. A third of one person households live under the EU poverty threshold. Social policy measures to help one person households are insufficient – this is a hidden question.
5. The risk of homelessness increases among one person households due to their economic problems and the insufficient supply of small decently prised dwellings.
18/9 2009 3
Households in Finland 2008The population of Finland is 5,3 million. 2,5 million households (house-dwelling units)
Of these:
41 % one person households (1 015 000); the average increase
20 000 households/ year
33 % two persons households (823 000); the average increase
13 000 households/year
26 % households with three or more persons (660 000), the number diminishes every year
Increase in the number of households total ~25 000 /year
New dwellings produced in average 30 000 / year in the 2000s, now less.
18/9 2009 4
Households in Finland by number of persons in 1960-2008
0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
2500000
3000000
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
7+persons
6 persons
5 persons
4 persons
3 persons
2 persons
1 person
18/9 2009 5
The age structure of one person households
24 % young (under 35 years)
25 % middle-aged (35-54 years)
18 % "baby boom age groups" (55-64 years)
33 % elderly (65+ years)
The numbers are increasing in every age group.
Conclusion: living alone is not only connected to young and old age
18/9 2009 6
Mail and female one person households
– 55 % of one person households are female households
– the number of mail one person households increases more rapidly – in every age group
– middle aged men is a big group among one person households
– how many of them are or will be marginalised?
18/9 2009 7
One person households by age and sex in 2007
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
-19-34v
-19-34v
35-54 v 35-54 v 55-64 v 55-64 v 65-74 v 65-74 v 75 + v 75 + v
Man Woman Man Woman Man Woman Man Woman Man Woman
18/9 2009 8
One person households and housing
• 63 % of one person households live in blocks of flats• Compared to 40 % of all households, 20 % families
• 74% of one person households live in dwellings with 1-2 rooms and kitchen/kitchenette
• Conclusion: The level of housing of most one person households is very decent.
• Spacious living of one person households is not - yet - common, most of them live in single family houses, more often in the countryside
• However, a large share of elderly two persons households have good and spacious owner occupied dwellings – what about the widows after some years?
18/9 2009 9
Households by number of persons, by type of
building and by number of rooms in 2007
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
Det
ache
dA
ttac
hed
Blo
cks
of f
lats
Det
ache
dA
ttac
hed
Blo
cks
of f
lats
D
etac
hed
Att
ache
dB
lock
s of
fla
tsD
etac
hed
Att
ache
dB
lock
s of
fla
tsD
etac
hed
Att
ache
dB
lock
s of
fla
tsD
etac
hed
Att
ache
dB
lock
s of
fla
ts1 2 3 4 5 6+
6+ rooms
5 rooms
4 rooms
3 rooms
2 rooms
1 room
18/9 2009 10
Housing tenure
• 65 % of Finnish households live in owner-occupied dwellings• (80 % of families with two parents)
• Only a half of one person households live in owner occupied dwellings.• The share has decreased, it was 60 % in 1990.
• Conclusion: 60 % of all permanently occupied rental dwellings are now occupied by one person households – and the share increases.
18/9 2009 11
Housing policy• In average 30 000 new dwellings have been produces yearly, which
is a very low level – now much less due to the economic depression.
• The social rental housing stock is the key measure to help low income households, inl. one person households
• This production has been minimal recently• Housing production in the free market concentrates on producing
large family dwellings • The rent level of small rental dwellings increases constantly• Deficit of "key persons" (buss drivers, nurses) in cities• The chances for a low income person to get a dwelling become
worse and worse
18/9 2009 12
Household by number of persons and
by tenure of housing
0
100 000
200 000
300 000
400 000
500 000
600 000
700 000
1 2 3 4 5 6+ 1 2 3 4 5 6+
Owner-occupied Rental
1990
2007
18/9 2009 13
Poverty of one person households
• 31 % of all one person households live under the EU poverty threshold (2007)
• Compared to 13,5 % of all households
• 41,5 % of one persons households under the age of 35
• 25 % of person in the age group of 35-64
• 30 % of elderly one person households (75 +)
18/9 2009 14
Poverty, age and sex of one person households
Young women who live alone are more often at the risk of poverty than men (49 % of women and 43 of men under the age of 30). Students inl.
In the age group 44-64 men who live alone are more often at the risk of poverty than women (men 29 %, women 21%)
Also in the age group 65-74: the poverty risk of men was 34 %, of women 22 %
Elderly (75+) women's poverty risk rises: 31 % of women and 16 % men. Elderly women who live alone often tell about economic difficulties
in surveys.
18/9 2009 15
One person households and allowances
• Half of the households which receive general housing allowance are one person households
• Most of the households which receive pensioners' housing allowances are one person households. Half of these are under the retirement age of 65 years – most of them live on small sickness pensions.
• 70 % of the households which receive living allowance are one person households
• These shares are increasing
18/9 2009 16
People living in care units, institutions and hostels
A large number of people live in different kinds of units which provide care and housing services, incl. elderly people. (at least 63 000 persons)
No statistics on their housing conditions – only a minority have a dwelling of their own. More and more persons have to share a room.
Cuts in the social welfare expenditures. The policy is turning more or less
to "transintitutionalisation".
Conclusion: There are tens of thousands of people who are not counted into housing population and housing statistics. Many of them could be counted homeless.
18/9 2009 17
Homeless people in Finland 1987 - 2008
0 000
2 000
4 000
6 000
8 000
10 000
12 000
14 000
16 000
18 000
20 000 Homeless families
Living temporarily with friends andrelatives
In care homes, institutions etc.due to lack of housing
Living outdoors, staircases, nightshelters etc
Living in care
18/9 2009 18
Conclusions:
• There are more than a million one person households in Finland (41% of all )
• A third of them live under the poverty risk level
• Except for these people there is a large number of people who are not included
into the housing population, because they do not occupy a dwelling of there
own.
• Many of them could be counted homeless due to their housing conditions.
• Homelessness reflect these problems, it is the bottom of the continuum – OF
THE HOUSING CAREER.
• Homelessness has increased lately, in spite of special programs.
18/9 2009 19
GENERAL QUESTIONS:
WHY DOES THE NUMBER OF ONE PERSON HOUSEHOLDS
INCREASE CONSTANTLY? WHAT DOES IT TELL ABOUT THE
SOCIETY?
THE PHENOMENON IS MORE OR LESS NEGLECTED, WHY?
THE SOCIAL POLICY AND HOUSING POLICY MEASURES TO
SUPPORT THE GROWING NUMBER OF ONE PERSON HOUSEHOLDS
WITH LOW INCOME ARE INSUFFICIENT. DOES THIS BECOME A
THREAT FOR THE SOCIETY IF NOT TACKLED?
• Source: Statistics Finland