Standing on his doorstep were his neighbours with an urgent request: “Do you have salt? We want to boil macaroni.” He acquiesced, but it turned out that salt wasn’t the only ingredient they were missing: “And do you also have macaroni?” His warm face, framed by jaw-length white hair, is at once charmed and outraged as he recounts the interaction while smoking a cigarette outside his apartment building the following morning. Senkel, whose nickname is Velho (Finnish for wizard), is known for his proficiency in the kitchen.
In his apartment, where he lives alongside 77 other formerly homeless people in a Helsinki suburb, he shows me his fully stocked freezer. From his neatly organised fridge he pulls out the jars of pickled cabbage and shrimp salad he has prepared to take to a friend’s house for lunch later. When Senkel, 67, moved here three and a half years ago, he had been living on the streets of the Finnish capital for 10 days after being evicted from his home.
Before that there had been a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, and a devastating loss. His partner, whose photo is framed on his bookshelf, died after two years in a coma that started when her heart failed in her sleep. After getting a place here, little by little, he started to build a new life.
As well as cooking, he likes to play a bit of guitar every day. He brings his bass into the kitchen and becomes emotional as he plays along to an Estonian power ballad (he is originally from Estonia). Having this apartment, he says, has “changed everything”.
The housing unit, attractively set around a courtyard in converted student accommodation, follows the “Housing First” principle that has made Finland a world leader when it comes to tackling homelessness. The model focuses on housing as a fundamental human right rather than a reward. Temporary accommodation is seen not as a solution, but something to be avoided.
All support is centred on ensuring that people have permanent homes, with everything else following from that – treatment, healthcare, employment. In the long run, advocates say, it is cheaper for the state for people to be permanently housed, taking pressure off other public services. Another key component of Housing First for Senkel is the 24-hour staff support.
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