Manchester turns to ‘housing first’ scheme to eradicate rough sleeping

Andy Burnham held an event to celebrate the successful pilot of a scheme that has supported 400 people in the city. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, has turned to Finland for bold lessons in how to tackle rough sleeping in the city.

Burnham has said he is committed to making the region “the first in the UK to adopt a ‘housing first’ philosophy like Finland”. A scheme launched there in 2008 that gives people homes when they need them, without conditions attached, has brought down homelessness by 70% and eradicated poverty-based homelessness completely.