Osama Al Aloulou

The fall of 2015 and the spring months of 2016 witnessed a major increase in the number of asylum seekers in Finland. With more than 30,000 new arrivals Finland became one of the main net receivers of asylum seekers relative to its population size in Europe and the national reception system was put under severe stress. Housing is one of the key social issues for asylum seekers and refugees, but also for the receiving society in general. However, the question what goes on at the level of everyday reality as new asylum seekers enter the housing market remains largely unanswered in the Finnish context. Based on in depth interviews with nearly forty asylum seekers from Iraq, Syria and Eritrea this report sheds light on their experiences of arrival in Finland, living conditions in asylum reception facilities and finally it follows the steps they take in order to find long term housing.