The government has proposed that students will be transferred from the general housing allowance back to the housing supplement for students from 1 August 2025. The change in the law is planned as part of the fiscal adjustment.
METKA does not support transferring students back to the housing supplement. Since 1 August 2017, the general housing allowance has enabled students their livelihood for the summer months as well.
The legislative proposal document is incomplete and it also seems that the aim is to get the change implemented as quickly as possible, without considering the overall and long-term effects.
The proposal states several times that the amendment is intended to enable full-time studies and progress studies effectively, but at the same time the move to a housing supplement is justified e.g, by higher income limits that encourage working rather than studying. These aspects are in stark conflict with each other.
According to curricula and the ETCS criteria, a higher education student’s workload in order to advance their studies is roughly 40 hours per week. The housing support model which encourages students to work does not support the individual’s recovery time. It is in no one’s interest that future talents graduate already in burn out. The proposal also assumes that it is always possible for students to find a summer job or a job that suits their studies during the semester, i.e. one that allows flexible working time and the number of hours.
The government programme (Strong and caring Finland 2023, p. 12) mentions that the savings are aimed to be implemented in a way that takes into account the situation of the most vulnerable. The proposal is therefore in conflict with the government programme. Students are already in a vulnerable situation because of their income, but particularly vulnerable are those who are unable to work in addition to their studies because of their own resources. Moreover, employment prospects in all sectors are not such that students are able to repay large installments of student loans each month.
The maximum housing costs for the student housing supplement are foreseen to be €340. Even the maximum housing costs for general housing allowance (€ 563/month for a single person) is not realistic in relation to the price level in the metropolitan area. The allowance system that encourages cohabitation is unequal because it only takes into account cohabiting couples. It is also a form of housing that is not suitable for everyone.
In the capital region, the student housing foundation Hoas has over the years favoured one- and two-bedroom flats in new construction. In addition, shared apartments have been converted into family housing, as the occupancy rate of shared apartments is low. The change in housing allowance is short-sighted and undermines the viability of Hoas and other housing foundations’ construction projects and thus their ability to operate.
Read the full statement in Finnish on Lausuntopalvelu.fi
This post is also available in Suomi.