The number of households struggling to make ends meet has grown for the third year in a row, according to figures from Statistics Finland.
Under financial pressure, people are now increasingly reaching out to their local communities.
One such community is a Facebook group for mothers in the Kuopio area. The Kuopio mothers' support circle (Kuopion äitien apupiiri), which has been active for over 10 years, has more than 3,000 members.
Kuopio resident Mira Dearsley said she received a lot of help when she moved into a new apartment with her children following a divorce. Due to mould issues in her previous home, she was unable to bring most of her belongings.
Through the social media group, Dearsley, a mother of three, was able to secure clothes, toys, dishes and furniture.
From social services, she received an Ikea gift card worth a few hundred euros she used for a kitchen table and chairs.
Mothers reach out to the Facebook group for food, clothes, or other financial support. Sometimes they ask for help with babysitting or want to set up playdates for their children.
Heidi Miettinen launched the Kuopio mothers' support circle in 2014 as a form of peer support following news of two family murders in Rautavaara and Kuopio where mothers took the lives of their children.
"Not everyone has relatives living in the same area, and especially mothers of young children are often alone," she explained.
Recently, requests for help have increased, according to Miettinen.
Researcher: Charity shouldn't replace social net
Johanna Peltoniemi, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), said it was not surprising that people are looking for alternative ways to make ends meet.
"It's only human to want to help a neighbour in need," she said.
At the same time though, she said social security should not become dependent on the charity of strangers.
Today Mira Dearsley is retired and shares joint custody of her children with her ex-partner. Cuts to social benefits — such as a 100-euro reduction in her housing allowance — have impacted her livelihood.
She said the Kuopio mothers' Facebook group isn't just a means to ask and offer help but also forms an important community.
"I grew up in a time that was more communal, but today I don't even know half of my neighbours," she explained.
Dearsley said she has noticed that people in the group genuinely want to help in whatever way they can. Asking for help can often be more difficult than offering it.
"The person asking for help might not realise what a minor thing it is for the person offering it," she added.
More than one in ten children in Finland are growing up in poor housholds. According to Statistics Finland, more than 123,000 children lived in poverty in 2023.
The All Points North podcast explored practical ways to stretch your budget and save money in the current economy. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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