Over 100 homeless women among Tampere's 468, sober clients struggle for safe day spaces

Tampere has 468 people without a permanent home, more than 100 of them women. A YLE profile introduces Anni Parikka, who sleeps in a bush yet still washes her hair and puts on makeup every morning, a routine she says preserves dignity amid life on the streets.

Parikka has been unhoused for just over a year after losing her hairdressing business and accumulating debts. She says services are aimed at people who use drugs or who have severe mental health problems, leaving sober homeless people with few safe meeting places. She tried Tampere’s emergency day unit Tastussa in Hervanta but felt like an outsider because of drug use there. City and Pirkanmaa wellbeing area officials say another regional accommodation unit is being planned to offer more varied services. The plan follows the city's expansion of neighbourhood-based street outreach to Hervanta, Annala and Kaukajärvi announced earlier this year.

Researchers see mixed signals about substance use among the homeless. Pirkanmaa data reviewed by local authorities found only around ten percent were substance-free in one sample, while a recent University of Turku study concluded that less than half of people experiencing homelessness have drug or alcohol dependencies. "A surprisingly low figure," researcher Veera Niemi said. Service providers such as VVA ry warn that separate, high-quality day centres for sober clients would require more volume and resources than currently available.

Parikka describes daily survival: hunting for public washrooms every morning, carrying as much clothing as she can, washing clothes once a week at a friend’s, and sleeping on makeshift bedding without a sleeping pad. She views her situation as temporary. She has two degrees, refuses state benefits by choice, and says the experience has given her a new perspective; she hopes to write about her life one day. Her face was not shown in published images for safety reasons.