Finland’s answer to helping homeless
MY partner and I invited our Finnish friends over for dinner a few weeks ago.
It was a lovely evening as we discussed our different hometowns and cultures over a couple of bottles of wine.
They told us of their Finnish tradition and what they missed about their hometowns.
In some parts of Finland children at school are taught to always help others less fortunate than themselves no matter what. This really stuck with me.
I’ve always thought Glasgow was the best city in Europe for its friendly, funny and enthusiastic people but recent reports have made me think that we can be more helpful to those less fortunate than us especially those who are homeless.
In 1987 the number of homeless people in Finland was around 18,000. By 2017, the number was just 7112.
Finland’s idea to solve homelessness is simple. You start by giving someone a home, a permanent one, with no strings attached and help them tackle addiction or other health problems.
Perhaps we should be following in their footsteps.
It is horrifying to see so many people on Glasgow’s streets and what’s worse is we judge them without knowing how they got into this situation. I always try and give spare change when I can but it’s not enough.
I think we should show one another more compassion. You never know when you might be relying on the goodwill of a complete stranger to help you through a difficult time.
Name and address supplied
I AM not a member of any political party but I do hope there is a high turnout on Thursday.
Because even if we don’t take an interest in politicians, they will keep taking an interest in us.
And, of course, politicians will make laws affecting us all.
So it’s worth taking a trip to your local polling station on Thursday to vote.
Max Nottingham Lincoln
WELL done to the Glasgow Times for kindly giving out rolls and papers to commuters earlier this week.
It’s not often you see lovely gestures such as this, and particularly with the weather being awful this week, it cheered up a lot of people.
Keep up the good work, and make sure you keep the paper packed with crosswords, as I enjoy sitting down at my kitchen table to do my puzzles after tea.