The settlement movement was born to combat slums and inequality in the late 19th century. The same ideology still guides us at Settlement Apartments: home and community create the foundation for a strong society. Local settlements support our houses, strengthen community and make everyday inclusion a reality.
Publicly-beneficial, affordable housing puts these values into practice. Rents are cost-based rents, based on real costs and not on market profit-seeking. Construction is financed by banks, and the state's role is to provide interest subsidies that protect residents when interest rates rise. This is not about providing subsidies, but about responsible policy that stabilizes both people's everyday lives and the state's finances. Residents pay the cost-based rents for the property's operating and financing costs and loan repayments.
Everyone should have the opportunity to have a home, regardless of their income level. This is concretely reflected in settlement apartments. Apartments for special groups and ordinary homes are located in the same buildings, in the best locations in Finland. This way we prevent segregation and build communities where people live for a long time and safely. Community reduces loneliness, supports living at home and saves society's resources. When a person has a home and a community, they have the opportunity to work, study and participate.
If public housing is cut, it is cut directly from Finnish communities. The result is more expensive rents, deepening inequality and growing loneliness. The decrease is many times greater than today's savings. And what will happen to growth centers if affordable housing disappears and there is no longer any labor?
Suvi Tuomala
CEO of Setlement Housing
