Linkki.
A practical support chain for Espoo residents who fall through the cracks — turning advice into action through low-threshold outreach, warm referrals, follow-up, and microgroups where no other support exists.
Why Linkki exists
The referral is not the solution.
Espoo residents facing loneliness, exclusion, language barriers, unemployment strain, or complex "in-between" needs are often told where to go — but rarely helped to get there. Systems refer. Linkki follows through.
The core insight is simple: the gap is not in the existence of services, but in the distance between a person in difficulty and the service that can actually help them. That distance — practical, linguistic, psychological, administrative — is what Linkki is designed to close.
How it works
Four steps. One consistent aim.
Linkki is not a single service — it is a chain. Each step is designed to make the next one more likely to happen.
Outreach & intake
Low-threshold pop-ups in accessible community locations — libraries, community spaces, partner venues. No appointment needed. Residents come as they are.
Warm referral
Not a link and a goodbye. We make the next step happen together — calling, booking, filling forms, and contacting the right service alongside the person, not on their behalf.
Follow-up
One or two follow-up contacts — by phone, message, or in person — to confirm the person actually reached the support. If not, the case is rerouted. Drop-off is the enemy.
Microgroups
Short peer-based groups (4–6 sessions) for niche needs that don't fit existing services — isolation combined with unemployment, navigating services with limited Finnish, newcomer parents, and others.
Who it serves
Residents who have been referred too many times.
Linkki is open to all Espoo residents, with outreach and follow-up prioritising those who face the highest practical barriers to accessing support.
People we typically encounter
- Residents experiencing loneliness or social isolation
- People with unemployment-related psychosocial strain
- Those with language barriers in Finnish or Swedish
- Newcomers navigating services for the first time
- People with complex needs that don't fit a single service category
- Anyone who has been referred elsewhere but never reached support
What Linkki is not
- Not a replacement for statutory social or healthcare services
- Not therapy or clinical support
- Not an advice service that hands out links
- Not a one-off event or drop-in session
Linkki is preventive, encounter-based, and designed to strengthen access to what already exists — not create parallel infrastructure.
Where we work
Espoo, in the neighbourhoods that need it most.
Pilot delivery is underway in selected Espoo neighbourhoods, chosen with local partners based on need, accessibility, and available venues. The model is designed to be replicable and scalable to other areas.
Who we work with
Coalition, not duplication.
Linkki operates within Espoo's existing NGO and service ecosystem — not alongside it independently. The model depends on shared referral maps, agreed contact points, and continuous two-way feedback between partners.
We cooperate with and refer to organisations active in social inclusion, mental health support, employment, family services, and peer activity across Espoo — including through the Moniheli network.
Partner list reflects current and potential referral relationships and is subject to change as the project develops.
Want to help?
Linkki runs on volunteer energy and community trust.
We are looking for outreach volunteers, translators, peer facilitators, and anyone who knows Espoo's communities well.