Presentation given by Graham Bowpitt, Peter Dwyer, Eva Sundin and Mark Weinstein, UK at a FEANTSA Research Conference on "Understanding Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the New European Context", Budapest, Hungary, 2010
Employablity presentation and Future Career Plan.pptx
Land of Opportunity? Comparing Street Homeless Experiences Between Polish Migrants and UK Citizens in Two British Cities
1. Land of opportunity? Comparing street
homeless experiences between Polish
migrants and UK citizens in two British
cities
Graham Bowpitt, Nottingham Trent University
Peter Dwyer, University of Salford
Eva Sundin, Nottingham Trent University
Mark Weinstein, Nottingham Trent University
The Multiple Exclusion Homelessness Programme is jointly funded by the
ESRC, JRF, DCLG This project funded by grant RES-188-25-0001
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW
ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
2. Key questions
Why are CEE migrants found in disproportionate numbers in the UK
street homeless population?
How do CEE homeless differ
From UK street homeless population
From the majority of A8 migrants
Between different localities
In terms of
Background
Current circumstances
Support needs
Access to services and opportunities?
What are the most appropriate policy responses to this issue?
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
3. Background 1): UK street homeless population
4000
3000
2000 Annual
1000 totals for
0 London
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-5
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-8
20 9
0
-
-1
00
01
02
03
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06
07
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09
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
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20
Numbers remain high, despite policy initiatives
High proportion combine homelessness with other social exclusion
indicators
Increasing proportions of CEE migrants in London street homeless
population (37% LKI 10 CE of support organisation)
Current thinking about causes focuses on structural factors that ill equip
some people to cope with private tragedies
Subject of recent UK Government initiatives culminating in No-one left out
(2008)
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
4. Background 2): the A8 migrant population
Substantial migration of CEE citizens to UK following EU membership in 2004
(2007 for Rumania and Bulgaria)
732,850 applied to Home Office for registration under the Workers Registration
Scheme, 2006-9, of which 64% were Polish
Pollard et al (2008) estimate over 1 million CEE migrants into UK 2004-2008
Disproportionate settlement in different parts of the UK
Nottingham CEE migrant population 75% Polish
Few experience street homelessness, but disproportionate compared with
indigenous population
Characteristics might suggest potential vulnerability to social exclusion
Half single or with no accompanying dependents
Location often decided by social networks rather than employment
Limited English language skills
General depreciation in job status, with high unemployment and low pay
73% in private rented sector, with poor housing and overcrowding
33% had been victims of crime
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
5. Researching multiple exclusion homelessness
Semi- structured qualitative interviews in Nottingham and
London
108 multiply excluded homeless people
45 key informants
We wanted to find out
What brought people on to the streets?
What their priorities were while they were on the streets?
What led them to deal with their multiple exclusion
homelessness?
The perspectives, priorities and constraints of service providers?
Formerly homeless volunteers were used as peer researchers
Abductive research strategy to compare/contrast homeless
people and service providers’ understandings and priorities
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
6. Street homelessness among CEE migrants:
what we currently know
London
Polish proportion increasing (30% - 45%, 2007 – 2008)
Proportion with alcohol support needs increasing and now higher than
indigenous homeless (35% - 67%, 2007 – 2008, cf. 46%)
Other support needs the same or lower than indigenous homeless:
mental health (30%, cf. 31%), drugs (10%, cf. 29%)
Nottingham (numbers too small to analyse). However,
Triggered by precarious arrangements with friends/relatives or by loss
of tied accommodation
Little knowledge of or access to mainstream services
Causes of homelessness among CEE migrants suggest 2 types
Those who have encountered migration difficulties
Those with long-term vulnerabilities
Structural factors associated with migration increase vulnerability so that
the first group is at risk of being absorbed into the second
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
7. What we found 1): characteristics of the Polish
sub-sample
All male and currently street homeless
All had alcohol issues, compared with 47% of overall sample
The first day in London I’m working, maybe [for] three weeks maybe after one
month I’ve no money. I’m must sleep on the street... too much free time, I’m
alcoholic. I must drink. When I’m working, no drink. ...when I stopping work
come back to garage and to alcohol. This is problem”. (L108)
“Vodka flows quite freely. I know in Poland anyway. I think it probably is a
cultural thing... over here the drink tends to sort of allow them to escape
from the reality of how they have ended up”. (LKI 16 reconnections team)
“I am alcoholic. Every day when I drink I do not shake but when I don’t drink I
have shakes. I also have epilepsy and a big problem that I’m alcoholic, I am
every day drink.” (N42)
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
8. What we found 2): causes of homelessness
The recession/exploitation by unscrupulous employers
“He was renting from a private landlord....after he lost his job it was probably
about two weeks and then he was asked to leave. He didn’t tell anyone
why.” (L107)
“People have been working for 3 or 4 years and didn’t realise their employers
weren’t paying their national insurance contributions”. (NKI 10 worker day
centre)
Loss of informal employment with tied accommodation
“I work here for gypsy people and I’m paid £50 per day, I don’t pay for a house
or food because he gives me everything. I don’t know why, he goes.” (N43)
Ignoring/being poorly advised about Workers Registration
criteria
Discharge from prison
“I was in prison for 4 months. When I got case, the judge say I not guilty. From
this time, I am homeless.” (N12)
Drink problems precluding access to work
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
9. What we found 3): causes of homelessness
General ineligibility to access statutory homelessness services
or local authority accommodation
“A lot of projects, maybe that’s a generalisation, but projects that receive statutory
funding, obviously the funding is given to them for specific reasons. They do not work
with central eastern Europeans.” (LKI 8 manager faith based day centre)
“There’s loads of them but we haven’t got any here. Because they can’t get benefits can
they.” (LKI 2 hostel manager)
“Because I don’t have benefits I cannot go to a hostel, this is the problem.” (N12)
“Very few...I can recall one Polish man”. (LKI 15 doctor in hostel service)
“There is a group that have fallen very badly by the wayside. They are on the street,
destitute, this clumsy term … public funds. Means they can’t book into hostels.” (LKI
10 CE of support organisation)
“They have no recourse to benefit making it very difficult for us to actually accommodate
them. And also to work with them.” (NKI 20 manager support organisation)
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
10. What we found 4): barriers to accessing
support
Loss of or lack of documents
“I have no pay slips to work, because they stolen. I have Home Office.
Because I need papers, I am lost. I want to get new Home Office.
For a new copy, I must buy £75.” (N12)
Lack of recourse to benefits under transitional rules
“I am working here and every time they say Polish no benefits. Polish
people not legal so no benefits.” (N42)
“One month before, £90. Job Centre give me Crisis Loan. This money I
must pay back … £7 a week. I have not this money.”(N12)
Limited available resources e.g. interpretation services
“They slip through the net to be honest... it just wouldn’t be possible for
an interpreter to come every week and [service] to pay for it.” (NKI
24, street intervention worker)
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
11. What we found 5): Getting help when homeless
Heavily reliant on other migrants
“One night I am with friends then the second night sometimes I sit in the road, in the
streets, sometimes squat, you know. When somebody rings me up and says I can
stay at their house and afterwards I am going.” (N43)
Non statutory charitable and faith based providers vital
“In the winter the church hostel... (inaudible) but only for three months was told at the
beginning.” (L107)
“I come here [faith day centre] and to Salvation Army. I sell Big Issue. I have money. For
me is very important. Like family. This is good people. Staff. People are very good.”
(N42)
“Most of them end up in day centres like ourselves because they don’t have access to
public funds, they are destitute.” (LKI 8 manager faith based day centre)
Finding work was the top priority
“Number one is work [then] room is no problem because I go to work and will pay you
£40 or £35 per week no problem, because I work and am making money.” (N43)
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
12. Conclusions
Polish migrants are a good case study of current understanding of
causes of homelessness, rather than inviting a new one
Migration as a route of escape from structural problems
(poverty/unemployment) and personal troubles (broken relationships,
alcohol issues)
Structural and personal issues render a minority of A8 migrants ill-
equipped to meet the challenges of migration
EU/UK policy systematically excludes A8 migrants from social rights
promised by citizenship and forces people to rely on charitable support
and the informal networks of street culture
Policy responses to tackle homelessness among migrant populations
The EU level: 2011 end of transitional rules for A8s but a recurrent
problem as the EU expands?
The EU level: the equalisation of economies argument?
The UK level: extend full social rights to new groups of migrants?
The UK level: repatriation: government grants to assist reconnection
programmes?
European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW ENHR
EUROPEAN CONTEXT