Clear News | Friday 20.2.2026

Homeless. Private social service sector labor dispute. Work-sharing allowance for the mentally disabled. Olympic silver. Weather.

Homeless

Initially, the topic is the homeless, i.e. people who do not have their own home.

The number of homeless people is increasing.

For example, the number of homeless people in Helsinki has increased by 25 percent in a year, and in Vantaa by as much as 50 percent.

At the end of last year, there were about a thousand people in Helsinki who had no home.

The number of homeless people increased at a record rate last year.

The number of homeless people has increased, for example, because the government has cut housing and social assistance.

Nurses’ labor dispute

Then the labor market news.

The strike in the private social services sector is now over.

The strike lasted 3 days. The strike included staff from, for example, nursing homes and youth homes.

The reason for the strike was a dispute over wages.

The labor dispute will be mediated again next week.

A new 3-day strike is threatened in early March if the dispute is not resolved before then.

Work-related allowance

Then we will talk about the work activities of people with intellectual disabilities.

Welfare regions are considering waiving work-related benefits for people with intellectual disabilities.

A person with a developmental disability has been paid work participation allowance when he or she participates in work or daytime activities.

Many disabled people think it’s about salary.

In Central Finland, work-related allowance is no longer paid.

Niina Strandman from Viitasaari is upset by the decision.

- At least it’s nice to know when you come to work that you’ll get some money for what you do. That certainly encouraged me to always go to work in the morning.

Olympic silver

Then the happy news about the Winter Olympics.

Ilkka Herola and Eero Hirvonen won silver in the combined pair relay yesterday.

The Finns were also close to winning the gold medal, but Norway won in the final.

In the combined event, the competition is first in ski jumping and then in cross-country skiing.

Saturday weather

Still a weather forecast.

It will snow across the country on Saturday.

5-10 cm of snow may fall throughout the weekend.

The temperature is between zero and -10 degrees.