Politicians, volunteers sleep rough in Tampere to highlight homelessness

Volunteers and politicians will sleep rough in Tampere for five days, from Oct. 9 to 13, in an action meant to make the city's homelessness crisis more visible.

Akaa volunteer Jussi Vapaavuori and Minna Kyyhkynen, head of Krisin toimintakeskus, will spend five days and four nights living on the streets to draw attention to people without homes. Vapaavuori, who founded Rappuryhmä and whose group hands out about 300 food parcels each month at Pakkahuoneenaukio, packed a single rucksack and an IKEA bag with a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, spare clothes and basic toiletries. He says he has woken in the night worrying about the action. He is unsure where warm meals will come from during the week.

The initiative follows the city's recent homelessness figures showing 468 single-person homeless people and echoes earlier reporting on the shortage of safe day spaces for homeless women and related concerns. City councilor Juho Hirvelä plans to join the first night, and deputy mayor Ilkka Porttikivi is expected to sleep out as well. Member of Parliament Oras Tynkkynen visited the departure at Pakkahuoneenaukio and said political will and modest funding could solve much of the problem. Staff from the Pirkanmaa Wellbeing Area's outreach and prisoner-release teams and diaconal workers from Viadia Pirkanmaa will also take part.

Aamulehti will cover the initiative online, in print and on social channels.