Weather | “Irrational numbers” – This is how Helsinki's homeless survive in the life-threatening cold

How cope with 20 degrees below zero if you don't have a home?

The question has perhaps come to mind in recent weeks, when merino wool floors have been compared in Helsinki and the price of electricity on the stock market and the low indoor temperatures of homes have been horrified.

Let's ask the homeless themselves.

The hardest on freezing nights, the night center in Kalkkers, in the middle of Pasila's office buildings, has actually been quite quiet, a long-time employee Pot tells.

“With fire blankets, people spend the whole day making sure they find a warm place to sleep. They don't leave the night to us. As soon as the weather warms up, we will be full again.”

Kalkkers does not offer actual accommodation, but a place to rest, as the employees describe. Actual accommodation is offered, for example, at the Hietanienkatu emergency accommodation.

There are 15 places in Kalkkers, but no one has to stay in the sky for the night. First, we call through other suitable night spots. If we can't find space, we stretch out, Mari describes.

Thursday Kalkkers is quiet at 9 p.m., because there is still an hour until the doors open.

They are sipping coffee behind the counter Shorty and Washing machine. They are Yökiitäjät, Finland's only nocturnal detective work unit. All interviewees appear in the story only with their first names for security reasons.

The violence at work has worsened in just a few months, Tumppi says. Surprising situations have increased.

The reason is young people becoming more violent and drugs.

Night jumpers try to reach the homeless outside of the services and prevent life-threatening injuries. Citizens can send the two nurses tips about those who need help.

You have to leave quickly, or you won't find the person you're looking for at the indicated location, because homeless people move around a lot.

“A traditional homeless person walks an absurd amount of time a day in order to stay warm. Ten kilometers are completed by throwing,” says Vesku.

Yet According to Tumpi, 15 years ago, the average homeless person was a man in his fifties, probably an alcoholic. Today, the average age is about 35.

Alcohol has been replaced by the mixed use of different intoxicants, and for some even complete intoxication.

“They are indeed hard, which last without any substances. Of course, they have a high risk of mental health problems, because the stress of homelessness is so intense. My head can't take it,” says Vesku.

According to him, there are more men without housing than women, because women have better support networks. However, the number of young women in particular is increasing.

Nina (left) and Mari have come to Kalkkers for the night shift. You are never alone in the queue. Picture: Juha metso

Homelessness there are many kinds of destinies in the background. One common formula is this:

“There is a single-family house and a car, the loans are in full swing. Then the work goes, the interest can't be paid and the detached house won't sell. The basic attitude of a Finn surfaces: don't ask for help, I'll bite my teeth and take two new jobs. At the weekend, you have to relax, the cap cracks, and the wife starts complaining. That's it,” Tumppi describes.

It was the end of 2022 in Helsinki officially about 900 homeless people. In the council strategy, Helsinki has promised to eliminate homelessness completely by 2025.

Official figures seem as if homelessness had halved last year compared to 2019 figures.

It does not fully describe the situation.

The figures are sometimes frustrating, because it is impossible to know the real number of homeless people, says Vesku. It has been proven by 18 years of work experience as a Night Fighter.

Homeless people are defined as people who, due to a lack of housing, live outdoors, in stairwells, emergency shelters, dormitories or accommodation shops, housing service units, rehabilitation units or temporarily with friends and relatives.

However, people's life situations change quickly and it is often difficult to reach the homeless, so behind the numbers, according to Vesku's experience, there is a different kind of reality.

When the coffees have been drunk, Tumppi and Vesku head to the gig in their “bat car”, i.e. the Yökiitäjie's work car.

Mari puts donated food on display. Picture: Juha metso

Doorbell ring a little before Kalkkers' doors open at 10 p.m.

Equally, Mari and another night shift worker Nina they open the door. Ten men rush in quickly.

The first thing the visitors head for is the refrigerator, which has food donated by local stores. Today's selection includes Kokkikartano's Thai-style chicken soup, meat soup and spicy lentil soup.

“The stupidest thing in life is pissing yourself off,” reads the note on the refrigerator door.

“By the way, that's true,” says the person who came to spend the night Tendon and shows the note.

He has nothing but praise for Kalkkers. The going is always good, visitors and employees respect each other. When you get food, you don't need to steal it.

“This place saved my life. We'd all be screwed without this.”

Marko's goal is to get to the “other side of the counter”, i.e. to become an experience expert to help people get off drugs. Picture: Juha metso

In the background the men look for a place for their things and greet each other. Those who have not met introduce themselves. One boils tea and asks if the others want it too.

The microwave sizzles as the food heats up. The atmosphere resembles a workplace coffee room.

“And where can there be better conversations than at a picnic and in a coffee room. And there is no other place where you can be as peaceful at night as here,” says the 45-year-old Marko.

According to him, the other centers are hospital-like.

There are several Markos among Kalkkers' regulars. Fifty-year-old Marko wonders how much the temperature can drop in a few days. Ten degrees below zero doesn't seem like anything to him after almost twenty. Picture: Juha metso

Frost doesn't seem to be very high on the list of men's worries. You get used to the cold and it could have been worse, they say.

“If you put enough on it, you'll get over it,” says another, in his fifties Marko. There are several namesakes among the regulars.

He says he owns two coats: a thinner one and a thicker one that keeps the wind out.

You can enter shopping centers that are open around the clock, as long as it's not crowded.

More men have bureaucracy on their minds, which is difficult if you don't have a permanent address.

It is not easy to move books from one city to another. If you lose your bank card and ID, you cannot withdraw money from the account for new slings.

Without a phone, it is difficult to get an electricity contract, even if you get a home.

Many times things have been close to being sorted out, but then life has gotten in the way.

At 10:40 p.m., the space begins to quiet down, as the men slowly retire to the sofas.

After a long day, it's time to take a breather.

A small message is taped to the glass of the counter. Picture: Juha metso