The City of Helsinki has published its Annual Report for the year 2022. Among other things, the report details the many ways in which Russia's invasion of Ukraine shocked and altered the city’s operating environment.
The City of Helsinki’s Education Division serves more than 200,00 residents of Helsinki at over 600 locations every year, with the help of nearly 15,000 employees. As people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine began arriving in Helsinki, the city’s education employees expanded their operations to provide more daycare and schooling placements, as well as the necessary preparatory education services.
The city’s Urban Environment Division reported that of over 700 000 m2 of new housing had been built in 2022, well over half of which was infill development. In addition to this, construction began on just over 5,000 more new dwellings in the Helsinki area.
The main objective of Culture and Leisure Division operations in 2022 was to get Helsinki’s residents to return to using their services in the wake of the pandemic. The total number of visits to libraries, museums, youth facilities, sports and cultural services last year exceeded 22 million, which was considered a great success.
As regards the city’s Social Services and Health Care Division, the reporting period of 2022 was the third consecutive year marked by COVID-19. During the year, social services employees assisted many refugees from Ukraine to find their bearings in the city. The year was also marked by major preparations for the implementation of the national health and social services reform.
The City of Helsinki’s Annual Report regularly includes a message from the Mayor, a review of the year from the City Manager, and the financial statements of both the City of Helsinki and the Helsinki City Group, a larger entity that includes several city-owned public enterprises.