THE NATIONAL Discrimination Tribunal of Finland has banned a practice whereby provision of rental accommodation to Roma tenants is decided together with a representative of the Roma community.

The Tribunal concluded that the practice is in breach of the constitution, which states that Finns enjoy the right to freely choose their place of residence. It also violates the Administrative Procedure Act, according to which the authorities must treat all of their clients equally.

The Tribunal formulated its decision with a view to the approach taken by the City of Järvenpää. The city stopped liaising with a Roma contact person at the beginning of February, but according to the Ombudsman for Minorities, contacts regarding similar practices came from other localities.

“The practice has been in small cities and municipalities. There’s been an attempt to discuss it and jointly arrive at an agreement. We also tried to discuss the matter with Järvenpää, but without conclusive result,” comments Pirjo Kruskopf, acting Ombudsman for Minorities.

The Ombudsman received a complaint about the practice from a couple, one of whom is Roma, the other an ethnic Finn. The couple was asked to sign a paper by Järvenpään Mestariasunnot Oy, a city-owned company, which stated that a Roma contact person could be present at the meeting which decided their place of residence.

The complainants say that they were under the impression that their housing application would not be processed unless they signed the document.

Järvenpää defended the practice by arguing that it prevented disputes within the Roma community. The City Council claims to have experienced several problems linked to Roma accommodation prior to appointing a contact person.

There is an attempt to avoid conflicts rooted in sour relations within Roma culture by way of a so-called “duty of avoidance,” which means that potential neighbours have a big impact when choosing a place to live.

“Landlords and the city do not have accurate information about where any particular minority live because this sort of identity register is not permitted. The issue arises when a dwelling is appointed to an applicant household, who then declare that it is unsuitable because another Roma lives nearby. Roma themselves know precisely where they live,” commented the City of Järvenpää.

The Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA) had already declared that making housing choices based on a “duty of avoidance” is against the law.

PIIA LEINO – STT
MATTHEW PARRY – HT