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Accommodation

Room sizes

You will be assigned to an apartment-based reception centre or to an institutional reception centre. In apartment-based reception centres, clients live in flats rented by the reception centre. In an institutional reception centre, you will live in the same building with other reception centre clients.

There are minimum size requirements for the rooms used to accommodate reception centre clients. The required room size depends on the number of people sharing the room. 

  • A room for one person must be at least 7 square metres. 
    • A one-person room can house one adult and one child.
  • A room for two or three residents must be at least 12 square metres.
  • A room for four persons must be at least 18 square metres.
  • When a room houses more than four people, the required size increases by 4 square metres per person (for example, a room for five persons: 22 square metres).

Furniture in bedrooms and shared spaces

The Finnish Immigration Service has determined which pieces of furniture must be available in clients’ bedrooms and in spaces common to all residents.

  • A bedroom must have:
    • a bed for each resident living in the room 
    • a cabinet for storage and sufficient cupboard space for the clothes of each resident in the room 
    • a seat for each resident living in the room 
    • a desk 
    • a lockable cabinet or locker for each resident for storage of personal items.
      • The lockable cabinet or locker may be located in the common rooms.
  • Shared spaces and dining rooms must have a sufficient number of tables, chairs and sofas in relation to the size of the room and in relation to how many residents are using the space.
    • The dining table, for example, must be of sufficient size so that all residents can eat together.
  • Each client or family must be provided with means to do laundry and to dry their laundry.
  • Institutional reception centres must have a play area that is safe and suitable for children.

Accommodation principles

The Finnish Immigration Service has given reception centres instructions regarding accommodation of clients, including the following guidelines:

  • Clients of the opposite sex cannot be housed in the same flat unless they are family.
  • Allocation of clients to accommodation must take into account different types of families, life situations and personal circumstances.
  • A single mother and her children can be housed in the same flat with another single mother and her children, for example.
  • Accommodation solutions should support family unity.
  • You can discuss with your reception centre staff if there is a need for special arrangements or exceptions.

Products and articles provided by the reception centre

Both apartment-based and institutional reception centres will provide you with cleaning supplies, detergents, and toilet paper, for example. You can ask your reception centre for more information.