The Christian public service agency Helsinki Deaconess Institute’s Hirundo day shelter was founded in 2008 to serve EU citizens that lead a nomadic lifestyle and move from country to country in an effort to make a living.
Most of the people using the shelter are Roma; a traditionally itinerant ethnic group originating from the north-western regions of India, widely known among English-speaking people as “gypsies”, a word the Roma consider a racial slur.
In Europe, Roma people are associated with extreme poverty, are accused of high rates of crime and face daily racism and persecution. Reports on the situation of the Roma within Europe have found that they remain one of the most vulnerable minorities and still fall significantly behind their European counterparts in regards to education, employment and access to health care and housing.
Many have turned to begging on the streets to make ends meet.
Nowhere to go in the cold
Hirundo is a place where people like the Roma can do laundry, make food, rest and use the internet during the day. The centre’s staff provides support, advice and social and health care services. Women and children in particular are given special support and training.
Hirundo’s Project Manager Noora Lindström estimates that 10 to 15 people visit the shelter regularly, but no accurate statistics are available.
“Private lodgings are available that we are not a part of. I can’t tell you specific figures, but I know that many would be forced to spend their nights on the cold streets without the help of these private individuals,” she says.
It is very difficult, almost impossible, for Roma beggars to find emergency shelter in Finland. Many sleep outdoors, in cars or other public spaces. Health services are often also off-limits to them.
“Itinerant Roma have very little rights; they are very vulnerable. While asylum seekers are provided with minimum services, the Roma are extended virtually none at all,” says Lindström.
She has no wish to set the groups against each other, but feels that it is important to point out the feeble status of non-registered EU citizens in comparison.
Not registered as EU citizens
Many Roma children within the EU are not registered at birth. This is for a variety of reasons, ranging from mistrust of public institutions, lack of access to hospital services or funds, and general unawareness. This lack of registration oftentimes leaves the Roma stateless. It can prevent them from gaining citizenship and in many cases denies them access to education, health care, and protection under state laws.
“When things got really cold in January, we had a hard time closing our doors at the end of the day because we knew that many of our customers would be out on the streets for the night.”
Police: Aggressive begging diminished
Superintendent Seppo Kujala of the Helsinki Police Department says reports of aggressive panhandling on the streets of Helsinki have declined.
“There are a fair amount of beggars on the street scene, but we have had virtually no reports of aggressive begging behaviour. The situation is relatively calm in this respect,” says Kujala.
Kujala says the winter months are naturally quieter than the summertime, but he also believes that Finns have become accustomed to seeing Roma beggars on the street.
“It’s no longer a topic of discussion in the same way it was a few years ago when it was a new phenomenon in Finland. But when it comes to aggressive begging reports, the police are still naturally compelled to intervene.”
