ACTIVITIES IN A SUPPORTED HOUSING UNIT : professionals` perspective on residents` experiences

The Housing First program was a Finnish concept geared towards providing housing for all and mitigating against homelessness. Notable organizations in the third sector have partnered with municipal governments to facilitate accessibility to living spaces. The perspectives of experts in charge of residents’ welfare were sought to understand the effects of organized recreational activities in reducing social isolation and enhancing their well-being. Participating in recreational activities proves that it can provide the ability to manage someone’s mental balance, which could reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, thereby improving self-esteem. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which was then analyzed using thematic analysis. The criteria considered in the choice of study participants were five or more working years of experience in the social and welfare sectors. This helps in validating the study outcome. The study was plagued with a few challenges, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, language barriers faced by service users of immigrant background, and the municipality’s rules discouraging longer stays above two years. Recommendations such as an increase in funding from the municipality to the housing organization to enable living beyond two years, the use of virtual platforms to host recreational activities, and the provision of interpreters to enable equal participation of residents were made. Keywords: social isolation, social support, recreational activities, wellbein