Refuges in the Helsinki, Tampere and Turku regions often have to send those seeking shelter elsewhere.
Shelters for those escaping domestic violence are increasingly so full that they have to redirect clients in need to other locations. Those seeking refuge are typically women, often with children.
Last year, about one quarter of clients were directed from their nearest shelter to another site — and that was up significantly from 2024, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) said on Thursday.
Overall, shelters had an occupancy rate of 73 percent last year. However those in and around the large cities in southern Finland were often completely full.
The highest number of clients were referred onward from shelters in the Helsinki metropolitan area, as well as in Pirkanmaa, which includes Tampere, and Southwest Finland, which includes Turku.
“There are several shelters in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Pirkanmaa, so if a client has not been able to fit into the first shelter, they have often been able to be directed to another facility in the same area. However, this has not always been possible for everyone, as shelters have [sometimes] been full at the same time,” Suvi Nipuli, Development Manager of Shelter Services at THL, said in a press release.
“Still, it is always worthwhile to seek help,” she emphasised, adding that “a solution will be found for everyone who needs help”.
The situation is particularly difficult in areas with only one shelter. For example, the sole shelter in Southwest Finland was full on 179 days last year, with the journey to the nearest available site often long.
In the Helsinki region, more than 1,100 people were referred to other shelters. That was nearly twice as many as the year before, when 580 were redirected.
Espoo’s only shelter full for most of the year
Of the individual shelters, the most referrals were made from the shelter in Espoo, totalling nearly 400 people. The site is in a quiet residential area of Pihlajarinne, northern Espoo.
“Espoo’s only shelter was full for a large part of the year. This indicates that the number of places is currently insufficient for the needs of the area,” Nipuli said.
The Espoo shelter was full on 249 days, or more than two-thirds of the time.
All of Helsinki’s shelters were simultaneously full on 48 days, while Pirkanmaa’s two shelters were full on 147 days. The figures are based on surveys of available places by survivors of violence or professionals helping them.
The number of shelter clients has increased annually since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020. Last year, there were approximately 6,000 clients, four percent more than the previous year. The number of both female and male clients increased.
Ninety percent of adult clients were women, while nine percent were men. Overall, the number of days spent in shelters climbed by eight percent from 2024.
