Somali immigrants prefer Vantaa to Helsinki

Immigrants from Somalia feel that Vantaa is a better place to live than Helsinki.
      According to a report by Tuula Joronen on living conditions of immigrants in the Helsinki region, Somalis clearly preferred Vantaa to Helsinki, and Espoo was also seen as a good area.
      The report was published by the City of Helsinki on Tuesday. In the publication, Juha Riihelä compares the living conditions of Russian, Estonian, and Vietnamese immigrants living in the Helsinki region based on material gathered by Statistics Finland in 2002.
      Somali respondents said that people in Vantaa were seen to help their neighbours more than those in Helsinki. They also said that there is less violence in Vantaa, and that life there was more secure.
     
Somalis in Espoo had the closest contact with their native Finnish neighbours in matters related to housing, sport, and other hobbies.
      In his article, Riihelä noted that Somalis in Helsinki and Vantaa live close to each other in the eastern and northeastern parts of the cities, and that the areas are very similar in terms of demographics, per capita income, and average education.
      He says that possible explanations for the differences between Vantaa and Helsinki are the efforts at reconciliation launched after a series of racist clashes in the Vantaa district of Hakunila, and the active participation of Vantaa Somalis in local politics and other activities.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  A glimmer of hope in Hakunila (23.2.2001)
  Suspended sentences in Hakunila assault case (15.12.2000)
  Hakunila racial clashes: first trial begins (14.12.2000)
  Somalis in Vantaa meet city officials, demand protection (20.9.2000)