The Home Accommodation Support Association is the only organization in Finland that professionally supports home accommodation and its participants. We coordinate home stays, provide training, and offer advice to those seeking housing, hosts, and guests on a wide range of issues. Until the cessation of funded activities, we will continue our work, focusing on supporting, advising, and guiding the parties involved in ongoing and upcoming accommodations over the next few months.
The decision to discontinue funding is certainly disappointing, but even if Kotimajoituksen tuki no longer receives STEA (Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations)support, this will not stop home accommodation activities. We are working on plans for the future of the association and how the activities of the association or the Home Accommodation Network will continue on a volunteer basis. If you would like to be part of this process, we warmly invite you to join the discussion and share your ideas! Please send an email to info@kotimajoitusverkosto.fi or follow our social media channels, particularly regarding the planned January (this was decided to be organized in February, yes?) discussion focused on future development.
Kotimajoituksen tuki ry was established 10 years ago to support the Home AccommodationNetwork and promote international protection for people seeking asylum in Finland by providing accommodation in private homes instead of reception centers. At that time, many asylum seekers arrived in Finland and other European countries, and numerous people offered them accommodation in their homes or otherwise contributed to making home accommodation possible.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, home accommodation activities were reactivated, and thousands of Ukrainians were hosted in Finnish homes, many with the support of the association and volunteers from the Home Accommodation Network. Thanks to previous experience, prepared materials, training, and both experienced and new volunteers, we were able to act quickly, allowing many Ukrainians to get a good start in Finland. Even unexpected needs were met much faster than official authorities could respond; for example, when Ukrainians arriving with pets could not yet enter reception centers, many of them were provided with suitable accommodation through the Home Accommodation Network.
Home accommodation activities are inherently cyclical, and over the past ten years, there have already been two periods when the need for accommodation, information, support, and coordination – as well as people’s willingness to offer housing and help in various ways – was very high. It is only a matter of time before many people seeking protection arrive in Finland again, and home accommodation will once more be a natural part of addressing housing needs. To prepare for this, it is important to find ways to activate the knowledge, expertise, guidelines, and networks accumulated over 10 years for the next time demand and supply for home accommodation suddenly increase.
The number of people seeking home accommodation has increased significantly in 2025, especially due to the closure of many reception centers. Currently, a diverse group of asylum seekers and Ukrainians, alone or with families, are seeking housing. More home accommodations have been organized this year than last year, but finding hosts has been challenging, and only some of those in need have been able to secure a place to stay.
The reason for the negative funding decision is that the number of completed accommodations was lower than expected, and the effectiveness of our work did not reach the required level. However, we believe that even one room can change the world, and for individual people who received home accommodation, it has had a significant impact. Also hosts and volunteers have found home accommodation activities meaningful.
In home accommodation work and in the situations of those seeking housing, the consequences of stricter migration policies are clearly visible. Partly for this reason, cooperation with other organizations working with migrants, asylum seekers, and LGBTQ+ people has become even more important.
We are concerned about how the reduction of STEA funding will affect the operations of many organizations now and in the future, especially when the need for social and health services is increasing due to economic difficulties, rising living costs, cuts in social support, and stricter migration policies.
Home accommodation remains a concrete way to promote integration and strengthen the community. It consists of everyday actions and human encounters that cannot be measured in money. Activities continue thanks to volunteers, hosts, and residents. It is also a return to our roots: our network originally emerged as a civic initiative, driven by the desire to provide asylum seekers with the opportunity to live in private homes, in everyday life, alongside people. Over the years, we have seen how home accommodation brings people together, bridging various barriers. Although funding will end next year, the foundation of our work remains strong.