As a Brit living and working in Helsinki, I saw your article on the city’s approach to homelessness (3 June) and I wanted to add some more details about the nature of the city I live in. For 77 years the city of Helsinki has offered a summer playground meal service for children. Between the start of June and the end of July (covering the majority of schools’ summer holidays) any child under the age of 16 can get a free hot lunch on a weekday at one of the public playgrounds that participate in the scheme: this year 57 parks are taking part, with 30 offering the service throughout the summer. All a child has to do is turn up with a bowl or container and their own spoon and they will be fed a tasty and nutritious meal, with no requirements, conditions or costs.
My wife and I often take advantage of these services, bringing our children to play in the well equipped and maintained parks that are spread out across the city, letting the children play and make new friends while we socialise with other parents. This service is not specifically meant to benefit low-income parents, more as an equaliser that brings all parents together, irrespective of other factors. In many ways it can be seen as a parallel to the baby boxes, which so many other nations around the world seem to be interested in.
The Finnish government is by no means perfect, and has recently taken some worrying steps trying to reform social and healthcare, but living in a society that helps the newborn, the young, the homeless, really makes the higher taxes we pay feel like a positive investment.
Thomas Lambert
Helsiniki, Finland
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