The increase in incomeless Finns is partly down to a tightening of welfare rules, under which the unemployed – and particularly the long-term unemployed – are expected to be more active than before in finding work or entering job training schemes. The good intentions have in any case led to an increase in exclusions from benefits.

Many of those living on nothing could be eligible for some support, but do not access it because their chaotic lives make negotiating the bureaucracy too challenging.

“I would never have thought I was a stupid person, but with these papers you can feel like an idiot,” says Pasi Alakangas, a homeless 22-year-old who has lived without an income for months.

Alakangas is unsure of what support he could be entitled to, as the application forms are difficult to complete and the required attachments difficult to gather.

Bureaucratic jungle

“[It would be easier] if there was a designated person that could take care of all these things, so that you wouldn’t need to run from one place to the next in the bureaucratic jungle,” suggests Alakangas.

Twenty-four-year-old Juho Pirhonen has started many different training schemes but never managed to complete one. He does not receive labour market subsidy at the moment because he has been suspended from the benefit system temporarily.

He receives an income support of 300 euros per month, but the money doesn’t stretch far enough.

“I pay for my public transport card, my internet connection and my cat’s needs,” says Pirhonen. “When I buy food I have to be careful, as there isn’t enough money for more than packets of noodles by the end of the month.”

Most people only live without an income for a short period of time, but many have also entered a cycle where periods without any income become frequent.

Benefits suspended

Kela defines those without income as people that do not receive taxable salary or capital income, or social benefits such as unemployment support or sickness allowance.

People are most commonly left without an income because their spouse’s income is too high for them to receive labour market subsidy, the allowance granted to unemployed people without access to income-related unemployment allowance.

Resigning from a job can also lead to a 90-day suspension in unemployment allowance benefits.