芬兰首都赫尔辛基将允许年轻人以低廉的租金租赁养老院公寓，前提是他们要陪老人聊天。

　　The city council is seeking applications from renters under the age of 25 who will commit to spending between three and five hours each week with their older neighbours, at a care home in the eastern Laajasalo district. In exchange, they'll get a studio flat measuring 23 sq m with a private kitchen, bathroom and balcony for 250 euros per month, public broadcaster Yle reports.

　　该养老院位于赫尔辛基东部的拉夏萨罗区。据当地公共电视台“Yle”报道，想要享受此项优惠的人需要满足市议会开列的以下条件：年龄在25岁以下；每周愿意陪伴老人三到五小时。作为交换条件，这些年轻人能以每月250欧元的价格租赁一间23平米的一居，有独立厨卫和阳台。

　　芬兰年轻人到养老院陪聊可抵房租

　　Currently only three flats are available, but the scheme is part of a wider effort to tackle a lack of accommodation for young people in the capital. Ordinarily a studio costs about 600 euros a month, depending on the area, one local university advises.

　　目前这家养老院只有三间公寓可以出租。不过，当地还推出了更多计划，旨在解决年轻人在首都缺少住房的问题。当地一所大学称，租金高低取决于所处地段，通常情况下，小一居每月租金约600欧元。

　　Those who apply don't need any specific care experience. "There are staff to look after the elderly," project manager Miki Mielonen tells Yle. "We are looking for young people who maybe have a different perspective on everyday life, who will bring variety and recreation to the elderly residents."

　　想要申请的租客无需具备护理经验。项目经理米奇·米洛浓在接受“Yle”采访时称：“养老院有专门照顾老人的员工。我们要找的年轻人是看待生活有独特角度的人，他们能给老人带来多样化的休闲生活。

　　More than 60 people have applied for the spaces in less than a week, and the idea has also been warmly welcomed by Finns on social media. "Great project, hopefully it will spread to other areas," writes one person on Facebook, while another applauds the scheme for bringing different generations together.

　　项目仅在一周内就收到了60余人的申请。当地群众也在社交媒体上大加赞赏这个创意。有人在脸书上写道：“这个项目太赞了，真希望能向其它地方推广。”还有支持此项目的人表示，它能拉近年轻人和老年人的距离。

　　But some wish it was open to more people, with one user saying: "It's a shame the flats are so small. It would have been nice if the elderly had a small family with children or a single parent as their neighbour." And one person is disappointed about the cut-off age, writing: "Shame I'm too old for this - I would have definitely applied."

　　也有不少人希望项目能面向更多人，其中一位脸书用户写道：“一居室的公寓有点小，真是可惜。如果这些老人的邻居是个带孩子的小家庭或是单亲家庭的话该有多好啊。”还有位用户对项目的年龄限制感到失望：“真可惜我年纪超限了，要不然我绝对申请。”

　　Vocabulary

　　studio：单间公寓