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#113 | Left Out in the Cold – Episode 4: Putting “Housing First” in Finland

"Left Out in the Cold" Series – Dec 2025

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#113 | Left Out in the Cold – Episode 4: Putting “Housing First” in Finland
Broadcast Date: December 4, 2025

EPISODE SUMMARY | SERIES OVERVIEW | BIOGRAPHIES | USEFUL LINKS

EPISODE SUMMARY

Finland, renowned for being the happiest country in the world, has addressed homelessness head-on through a human rights-based approach to housing. Under the Finnish “Housing First” approach, everyone is entitled to a settled place to live, regardless of life circumstances. This system moves away from the goal of making people experiencing homelessness “housing ready,” and toward supportive housing units with normal leases and tenancy agreements.

In the fourth episode of this series, host Sarah Rowe is joined by Juha Kahila, Head of International Affairs at Y-Foundation, one of the key national developers of the Housing First principle in Finland. Juha explains why his country chose to adopt this approach, how their housing services provide dignified support to residents, and what other jurisdictions can do to decrease the rate and severity of homelessness in their population.

Guest

Juha Kahila, Head of International Affairs, Y-Säätiö (Y-Foundation)

Host

Sarah Rowe, Legal Counsel, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ)

SERIES OVERVIEW

Left Out in the Cold
A podcast series from CIAJ’s In All Fairness channel

Over the past several years, housing has emerged as a hot-button issue in Canadian discourse. How is affordability defined? Why are Indigenous peoples more likely to lack adequate housing? Is housing policy adequately addressing accessibility needs?

Left Out in the Cold aims to answer these and other questions over the course of this series. Hosted by Sarah Rowe, Legal Counsel at CIAJ, this series features conversations with legal and policy experts and community advocates on issues facing the Canadian housing sector. Each episode balances conversations about high-level legislative frameworks with the on-the-ground realities of everyday Canadians. Join us in these conversations as we try to root out the causes of housing insecurity in this country.

Episode 1 | Left Out in the Cold – Barriers to Adequate Housing and How Indigenous Housing Organizations are Filling the Gaps (Guests: Justin Marchand & Margaret Pfoh)
Episode 2 | Left Out in the Cold – Advancing the Right to Housing while Financialization Pulls the Strings (Guests: Michèle Biss & Ricardo Tranjan)
Episode 3 | Left Out in the Cold – Housing Available But Not Accessible (Guests: Stephanie Chipeur & Marie-Josée Houle)
Episode 4 | Left Out in the Cold – Putting “Housing First” in Finland (Guest: Juha Kahila)

BIOGRAPHIES

Juha Kahila

Juha Kahila is the Head of International Affairs at the Y-Foundation, Finland’s largest NGO providing housing for people experiencing homelessness and affordable homes for low-income households — with a housing stock of more than 19,000 apartments across the country.

A passionate advocate for housing as a human right, Juha leads international collaboration through his roles as Coordinator of the Nordic Homelessness Alliance and facilitator within the Housing First Europe Hub, connecting practitioners, policymakers, and researchers across Europe to advance Housing First and prevention-based solutions.

Before taking on international work, Juha led Finland’s National Housing First Development Network, bringing together all major actors in homelessness policy and practice. His career has spanned every level of the field — from front-line support work to service management and CEO roles in Housing First organizations — giving him a rare, comprehensive view of what it takes to end homelessness in practice.

He holds a Master’s degree in social services and continues to be driven by a simple belief: no one should be without a home in a society that works.

Sarah Rowe

Sarah is a graduate of University of Ottawa’s Common Law program, having previously obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. She articled at Legal Aid NL and is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. Throughout law school, Sarah worked as a student intern at CIAJ. In her new position as legal counsel, Sarah is responsible for assisting with the development and management of CIAJ projects, including the research and analysis of legislation, court decisions, and government policies. In this role, she also engages with law students and law faculties to ensure relevancy and legal accuracy of CIAJ’s educational programs. In her free time, Sarah enjoys volunteering, playing guitar, and supporting local theatre.

USEFUL LINKS

https://ysaatio.fi/en/about-us/international-affairs/
About Y-Säätiö: https://ysaatio.fi/en/about-us/

In All Fairness is a Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice podcast channel welcoming representatives from the legal community and exploring how we can all contribute to improving the administration of justice in Canada. Legal professionals will benefit from informed discussions on key issues, essential knowledge and insights to strengthen their practice.

Visit the upcoming programs section of our website or the online library, or contact us if you want to learn more and expand your skills. Numerous programs are available, including customized training.