connect 41: migration - the wrong sort of homelessness

UNKNOWN TRANSITIONSNext year, the 2004 Transitional Arrangements across the EU will cease. What happens next?...

DYING OR DIGNITYThe brutal choice faced by many migrants – stay on the streets and risk dying, or seek help...

TO BE OR NOT TO BE...The administrative removals debate - cases for and against. Should the Peterborough pilot be repeated?...

MIGRATION: ThE WRONG SORT Of hOMElESSNESS

CONNECT WINTER 2010, ISSUE 41 | WWW.hOMElESS.ORG.UK

14-15 20-21 24-25

connectTHE MAGAZINE OF THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR

wELCOME CONNECT | WINTER 2010

No one in recent weeks can ignore the profound implications of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). Already deeply concerned about the overall impact of cuts on vulnerable people, we know the real devil is in the detail.

EDITORIAL & DESIGNEditors Gill Perkins and Martin Reed

Editorial Panel Christine Spooner, Paul Anderson,

Jo Crellen, Drew lindon, helen Mathie, Tina Crockett,

Martin Webber and Ben Dickinson

Designer Sarah Rowing-Parker (New Start Design -

www.newstartdesign.co.uk)

Cover Photo by Claudia Janke/ Refugee Action

SUBSCRIPTIONSTo subscribe or take out additional subscriptions

please email: [email protected]

NEXT IN CONNECT: HEALTHThe first outing for Connect in 2011 will examine

health issues around homelessness. What does it take

to help those on the fringes of society stay healthy

both physically and mentally? Where have we

succeeded? Where do the safety nets fail?

We’re keen to hear your thoughts on how we might

engage with this and other issues. To contribute

ideas, articles, or to invite us to interview your

organisation, email: [email protected].

health topic deadline for ideas - 10 January 2011.

however, while the effects of the CSR will be serious, our

ongoing work with government departments clearly

influenced decision makers in the Treasury.

Along with others in our sector, we have presented

evidence on the business case for continuing work to

tackle and prevent homelessness, and to provide housing

related support. This contributed significantly to the case

for protecting the homelessness grant, and to a below

average cut of 12% (2.7% next year) in Supporting People

grant at national level. You can read more about this on

page 6.

It is vitally important that members work together locally

to advocate the same business case to local authorities.

failing to provide support and tackle homelessness early

risks much higher costs and problems for communities.

This means that it is at local level that the battle is

being fought to meet the CSR pledge ensuring “that

Upfrontexpenditure is focused on protecting the quality of the

key frontline services…that provide support to the worst

off in society.”

Members are facing major cuts, so now is the time to

lobby political leaders. Coalition politicians should be

reflecting the Prime Minister’s approach: “We should say

to every single council in the country, ‘When it comes to

looking at and trimming your budgets, don’t do the easy

thing, which is to cut money to the voluntary bodies and

organisations working in our communities. look at your

core costs. look at how you can do more for less. look

at the value for money you get from working with the

voluntary sector.’” (hansard PMQs 15 September)

labour politicians should be working to show that they

are stronger protectors of the most vulnerable than their

opponents. As Grant Shapps the housing Minister said

when I took the homelessness foundation to meet him

and lord freud: “There is no group more vulnerable than

this one. It’s the mark of a civilised society that we don’t

have people living on the streets.”

So please keep us in touch with what the picture looks like

from your perspective. Our team will be contacting you

for updates. I am writing to local council leaders on this

point, and have met leading councillors from the local

creDItS : SUBScrIptIonS : UpcoMInG

WWW.hOMElESS.ORG.UK 3

wELCOMECONNECT | WINTER 2010

In thIS ISSUe

LATEST NEwS 4

COMMENTSubmissions on homeless make an impact 6A lesson learned? 8

FEATURESDestination unknown 10CEE migration in the UK 12They come to work, not use services... 13Unknown transitions 14Secret millionaire gives destitute women a fresh start 16The CEE story in stats... 18To be or not to be - the debate on administrative removal 20Peterborough takes compassionate action 22Rebuilding social ties: a way out of homelessness for migrants 23Dying or dignity? 24

With no prospects, a black eye and a plastic bag... 26Working the system: Olallo 28In practice 29Jerzy: recycled citizen 30Jaroslaw: learning to trust 31Diverse misuse 32Someone to worry for me 33Solutions that will stick 34Managing people 35Census 2011: making sure homeless people count 36housing first: challenging the status quo? 37

INSPIREDinto the dragons den.. and out with the Michael Whippman award 2010 38

wHAT’S ON 39

RESOURCES 40

Jenny Edwards Chief Executive, homeless link

Government Association to press the case. At the same

time we are constantly active in pushing for a rethink

on welfare reform and the proposals around housing

benefit. There will soon be a second batch of reforms

introduced through primary legislation. We will campaign

vigorously to reduce the risks of increased homelessness

and, if the proposals go through as planned, to press for

the protection of vulnerable people within our sector’s

services.

The focal topic of this edition of Connect, when it is

seen at all, is too often viewed as the wrong sort of

homelessness.

In 2004, hundreds of thousands of people from central

and eastern Europe came to the UK. Most found work

and a home. They contributed significantly to the UK

economy, but for a small percentage it didn’t work out.

They became homeless and destitute on our streets,

without effective help or routes out. Today, roughly half

the people sleeping out on london streets are non UK

citizens. More than a quarter of them are from Central

and Eastern Europe. This phenomenon is repeated

throughout the country.

We have to find practical answers, spur local action and

achieve national policy change to achieve our ambition

to end rough sleeping. There is no alternative.

So, do we shrug our shoulders, accept the inevitability

of encampments of the destitute, the growth of health

conditions like trench foot and drug resistant TB,

alcoholism based on industrial cider, people eating

anything because they are constantly hungry? Viewing

these people as the wrong sort of homeless to assist is

unhelpful. But they aren’t local voters, they don’t come

with housing benefit payments, they may be involved

in petty crime to survive. The misleading phrase “No

Recourse to Public funds” is taken to mean no help must

be given.

however, there are signs of hope and ingenuity. People

are taking the initiative to find solutions and galvanise

their partners and local community into practical action.

You will read more of this on the following pages. Our

website too is a growing resource of further information

on this issue.

When I spoke to the Inter Ministerial Group on

homelessness I argued that this is the time for government

to establish a baseline beneath which we will not

allow anyone to fall, no matter where their journey into

homelessness began. There is no better place to start

than with the destitute. There is no better time to start

than now.

4 WWW.hOMElESS.ORG.UK

NEwS CONNECT | WINTER 2010

services, social enterprises and

spaces for business and community

use:

• 95 rooms as part of the of

Camden’s hostels Pathway

programme

• 35 sub-market rent flats for local

low-paid workers

• Spaces for group work

• fully equipped IT suite

• GP / nurse surgery

• Work and learn / Employment

Academy – provided by

Broadway

• Restaurant and conference

facilities provided by City Dining

and One Support

• Construction skills training facility

provided in conjunction with

lakehouse

• 13 studios including an artist in

residence who will deliver courses

to Arlington residents

• One Support – floating Support

Service (team base)

• OhG – Community link (mental

health floating support)

• The hub – space for use by

designed to ensure all its clients

receive the practical training and

personal support they need to move

on. for more information see:

www.itsyourmove.org.uk

ARLINGTON – ONE SUPPORTOnce housing more than 1,000

men, Arlington reopened in mid-

2010 under the ownership and

management of One housing Group.

It offers an exceptional standard of

accommodation and a range of

training and employment related

HATS FOR HOMELESSNESSSt Mungo’s first ever profile and fund

raising Woolly hat Day on friday 22

October helped achieve a record

number of visits to its website with

support coming from individuals,

schools, companies. Stephen fry

tweeted three times about the Day.

IT’S YOUR MOVE…It’s Your Move, part of Broadway

homelessness & Support, has

launched STEPS, a structured training

and engagement programme

IT’S BEEN 4 MONTHS SINCE THE LAST ISSUE OF CONNECT. HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF wHAT’S GOING ON. DON’T FORGET YOU CAN SEND US YOUR NEwS TO [email protected] AND wE wILL PROMOTE IT THROUGH THE MOST APPROPRIATE CHANNEL - OUR wEBSITE, IN CONNECT, ON TwITTER OR IN MEMBERLINk.

MEMBER NEwS:

lateStSector newS

HOMELESS LINk wELCOMES THE FOLLOwING NEw MEMBERS:4Nw, Harvest of Grace Trinity Centre, Islington South and Finsbury, Simon House, Cranford Property Services Ltd, Mayday Trust, London Jesus Centre, Pilgrim hearts Trust, Forest YMCA, FLACk, Space Trust, North Herts District Council, Recycling Lives (Uk) Limited, Phoenix Community Housing Cooperative, Depaul Ireland, Sheffield City Council, North Herts. Sanctuary Ltd, YMCA - St Helens, Hightown Praetorian and Churches Housing Association, Shelter Scotland - Shelter Support Service, Lowland Care Services Ltd and YACRO

STEPS training programme

St Mungo’s Woolly hat Day


NEwSCONNECT | WINTER 2010

lateStSector newS

NAC SPOTlIGhTwe are entering an environment of dramatically reducing funding and fierce competition for the prioritisation of services. Homeless Link provides the necessary collective voice and is a strong national representative for local agencies. The NAC directly informs Homeless Link about the impact of Government policy ‘on the ground’ on service users and agencies.

At this year’s annual conference, 4

regional NAC workshops focussed on

how we can make most effective use

of this regionally:

• More face to face contact in the

regions

• Individual services hosting more

collective meetings or events

• Ensure the data and examples we

gather are shared with relevant

MPs and stakeholders

• Modify the pro-forma used for

gathering information so it can be

sent directly to providers

• Provide a list of issues that

providers can ‘rank’ in terms of

importance

• have an ‘issue of the quarter’ to

focus on that can coincide with

the NAC agendas, to allow for

more detailed feedback to be

gathered

• Monitor changes in the funding

environment and impact on

providers of cuts as they happen

As a result of this consultation,

homeless link has modified the NAC

Online Pro forma as requested.

Regional representatives can also

send the survey link to any interested

parties they know of in their area.

A funding tracker has also been

introduced.

Please visit www.homeless.org.uk/national-advisory-council to find

your NAC representative.

Catherine Jameson, Resource Co-ordinator, HLG

Accommodation at Arlington house

community organisations and for

rent by firms who share Arlington’s

overall ethos.

www.onehousinggroup.co.uk/Section/One-Support

EMPLOYMENT ACADEMY FOR LONDON’S HOMELESShomeless londoners and the long-

term unemployed in the boroughs

of Southwark and lambeth are set

to benefit from the new £6m Thames

Reach Employment academy

opening up next year.

www.thamesreach.org.uk

SNOw HILL – A BLUEPRINT FOR THE FUTUREMidland heart’s former hostel is being

transformed by frank haslam Milan

into 92 apartments for both men

and women ready to leave direct

access accommodation. The focus

will be around providing support

and training opportunities. for more

information, see:

www.midlandheart.org.uk

wORLD PREMIERE – FABLES: A FILM OPERAShoreditch Church will be

transformed into a magical world

of fable for Streetwise Opera’s new

commission, ‘fables - A film Opera’,

created by some of the country’s

leading composers and filmmakers

working with over 120 Streetwise

Opera performers from around

England.

The teams have created four

stunning seven-minute films based on

fables from the classic, The Boy who

Cried Wolf; the folkloric, the legend of

The hartlepool Monkey ; the literary,

Oscar Wilde’s The Nightingale and

the Rose and the contemporary

Shinishi hoshi’s hey! Come on Out!

Each film will begin with a live

operatic introduction involving

Streetwise Opera performers and a

professional cast.

www.streetwiseopera.org


COMMENT CONNECT | WINTER 2010

HOMELESS LINk - ASkS OF GOVERNMENT RESULTS IN COMPREHENSIVE SPENDING REVIEw

1. Maintain investment in Supporting People at current levels.

Supporting People (SP) faces a 12% cut over four years (with 2.7%

in 2011-12). Although this is a significant cut, it is far less than many

feared, and is significantly lower when compared to the overall cut

to the ClG budget. It does indicate recognition of the arguments

we put that housing related support is a vital service for some of

the most vulnerable in our society and delivers savings to other

services.

2. Continue to use an element of the National Affordable Housing Programme to develop new supported housing stock and remodel existing stock.

Total investment in new affordable housing 2011-2015 is £4.5bn, to

build up to 150,000 new affordable homes over the next 4 years. This

represents a cut of 60%, down from £8.8bn over the previous three

year period to £4.4bn over the next four years.

3. Continue capital and revenue investment to change services into Places for Change to enable services for homeless and vulnerable people to deliver improved outcomes and better value for money, as evidenced by the earlier programme.

homeless link is very pleased that capital funding totalling £37.5m

has been secured to launch a second round of the Places of

Change hostels improvement programme from April 2012. This is a

lower amount than previously but does mean that the excellent

work carried out through Places of Change can continue.

4. Maintain the level of the Homelessness Grant to ensure continuing capacity to prevent and tackle homelessness in the face of intense upward pressures.

funding over the next four years will exceed £400 million, averaging

£108m annually. This remains relatively unchanged over the

Spending Review period 2011-2015. homelessness Grant will be paid

as part of the Area Based Grant, so is not ring-fenced. It is important

to ensure that lAs continue to spend this money on preventing

homelessness, in the context of the 7.1% decrease in council

funding annually.

SUBMISSIonS on hoMeleSSneSS Make an IMpactTHE IMPACT OF THE CSR PUBLISHED ON 20 OCTOBER wILL BE SERIOUS. SARAH GORTON, POLICY MANAGER AT HOMELESS LINk LOOkS AT THE MAIN ASkS wE MADE OF GOVERNMENT AND THE RESPONSE wITHIN THE REVIEw. SOME OF THE MAJOR IMPACTS wERE CONTAINED IN THE EMERGENCY BUDGET IN JUNE. HOMELESS LINk IS wORkING wITH A NUMBER OF OTHER ORGANISATIONS TO RAISE AwARENESS OF HOw THESE ARE LIkELY TO INCREASE LEVELS OF HOMELESSNESS, AND LOOk AT wHAT IMPACT THIS MIGHT HAVE ON THE SAVINGS MADE.


COMMENTCONNECT | WINTER 2010

5. Continue to drive towards the goal of ending rough sleeping by the end of 2012 and to retain and develop services to ensure the goal is achieved.

The goal of ending rough sleeping does not get a specific

mention in the CSR. Our specific concern is that many of the

cuts announced in housing benefit will lead to an increase in

homelessness and could feed into the rough sleeping population.

6. Recognise adults facing multiple needs and exclusions as a key issue. Make a clear statement on the importance of cooperation between local services in achieving coordinated, cost effective delivery for this group and support this, where appropriate, with cross-departmental coordination and cross-government funds.

There is no specific recognition of adults facing multiple needs and

exclusions in the CSR.

7. Flag individuals receiving housing-related support as vulnerable and requiring attention and support within welfare reform and the work Programme so that they do not risk losing their accommodation as a result of changes and ill considered application of conditionality. No further measures to reduce the amount of Housing Benefit available to vulnerable people should be put in place until full consideration has been given to any potential unintended consequences on vulnerable people and their access to housing.

homeless link along with other organisations is still working to

mitigate the potential negative effects of the welfare reform

proposals. The CSR announced an extra £7bn from the means-

tested part of the welfare budget. These cuts come on top of

the £11bn of cuts already announced in the Emergency Budget,

including cuts to housing Benefit (hB). We are concerned a

number of these will potentially increase homelessness, such as

the 10% reduction in hB for those on JSA for over a year. More

information on hB changes can be found on our website here:

http://www.homeless.org.uk/closed-consultations

8. Take steps to protect providers of supported accommodation from loss of income if they accommodate vulnerable and chaotic residents who are most at risk of benefit reductions or suspension. Take steps to protect providers of supported accommodation from loss of income if they accommodate vulnerable and chaotic residents who are most at risk of benefit reductions or suspension.

Supported housing and rough sleeping will be impacted by the

changes outlined above because move on from the supported

sector is likely to become increasingly limited. The changes

may also lead to some councils having to refocus on the priority

homeless cases, as they will have decreased capacity and

decreased funding. This may be to the detriment of non-priority

single homeless people which will include many rough sleepers.

however, the limited cut to the SP budget and the announcement

of an additional £40 million for discretionary housing payment to

local authorities will mean that providers can make the case for

limiting the detrimental impact on provision for the most vulnerable.

9. Ensure housing, health and social care work together more effectively to maximise the value of public investment, meeting the needs of older and vulnerable people, and jointly investing in prevention/early intervention and support.

The framework for social care and public health has not yet been

published. It is not yet clear how the needs of homeless people will

be recognised within this renewed emphasis on joint working. One

welcome aspect of the announcement is the extra £2bn for social

care which includes £1bn to support joint working between the

NhS and social care - specifically to break down the long-standing

barriers between health and social care. Effective joint working

is important to people with complex needs so we hope this small

budget will address some of those issues.

10. Maintain public health funding in real terms during the period 2011-2015 and take into account the local vulnerable and homeless population in supported accommodation in the allocation for public health.

Public health is one of the few ring fenced budgets. The framework

for public health is due to be published this Autumn and we

have yet to see how much the interface between poor housing,

homelessness and poor health is recognised.



The principal problem of deep, fast and unfocused cuts

to housing and social assistance programs is that they’re

not really cuts at all – in fact, by being “arbitrary and

unreasonable”, government risks incurring greater costs

down the road. This is the problem Canada faces today.

“I was accused of being arbitrary and unreasonable. And I was.” former Canadian Finance Minister Paul Martin, Financial Times, June 7, 2010.

HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA In the early 1990’s homelessness was such a minor issue in

Canada that there were very few counts completed. In

one of the country’s first homeless counts in 1992, the City

of Calgary counted 447 people as homeless. By 2008

that number had exploded to over 4,060, including an

estimated 300 rough sleepers.

UNINTENDED CONSEqUENCESThe Canadian government, inherited by newly elected

Prime Minister Jean Chretien in 1993, was awash in

debt. That year, Wall Street Journal called Canada “an

honorary member of the Third World” when our national

debt was heading towards a peak of 72 per cent of the

size of the economy.

facing an unsustainable debt and deficit, the federal

government quickly set about implementing budget

a leSSon learneD?Nearly a decade and a half after the sweeping and arbitrary cuts of the mid-1990s, Canadians are struggling to undo the unnatural disaster of homelessness unwittingly unleashed upon our most vulnerable citizens. Tim Richter, President and CEO of Calgary Homelessness Foundation, describes how there is a lot to be learned from the unintended, and ultimately expensive, consequences of Canada’s approach.

cuts and within four years had eliminated a C$42 billion

budget deficit.

This was accomplished with deep cuts to provincial

transfers (the money the federal government pays

to provinces that the provinces in turn use to pay for

everything from health care to welfare) and cuts to direct

federal spending on almost everything. Among the cuts

was the national affordable housing program (in place

since in 1973) ending federal investment in new affordable

housing. This left the provincial governments, also fighting

significant budget deficits, to pick up the slack, which

they could not.

Throughout the 1990’s reduced transfers of funding

to provinces saw reductions and restrictions in social

assistance across the country. Tightening eligibility criteria

saw the number of households receiving assistance in

Canada falling dramatically from a peak of 3.1 million in

1993 to 1.7 million by 2005.

And as fewer people could access social assistance, the

amount of money received by those that could was also

cut. When adjusted for inflation, a single unemployed

Alberta resident in 2008 was receiving 33 percent less

than in 1986, a disabled single person lost eight percent

in the same period and a single parent with a dependent

child lost 18 percent.

With insufficient affordable housing in the system,

vulnerable Canadians were forced to rely on the private


COMMENTCONNECT | WINTER 2010

rental market. Incomes afforded by social assistance

were, and still are, nowhere near sufficient to support

private rental housing.

Both the single job seeker and the disabled single person

on social assistance were over $20,000 per year short

of the income necessary to affordably rent a bachelor

apartment in Calgary in 2008. A single parent with one

child found themselves more than $31,000 per year

short of affordably renting an average two bedroom

apartment.

By cutting affordable housing programs and drastically

cutting social assistance through the 1990’s people

who might otherwise have lived in social housing and/

or received income supports lost their housing and were

forced into emergency services. In effect – we eliminated

at least part of our budget deficit on the backs of our

most vulnerable citizens.

A BUDGET SHELL GAME The sad truth we face in Canada today is that cuts to

social assistance and housing in the 1990’s were not really

cuts at all, in fact, we’re paying more now to clean up the

mess.

To respond to the growing homeless problem in Canada,

communities across the country built emergency shelters

and created emergency assistance programs.

Based on a conservative homeless count of 150,000

people, one 2007 study estimated that homelessness

today costs Canadian taxpayers between C$4.5 and C$6

billion per year.

By comparison, a one percent reduction in the Goods

and Services Tax (our version of the VAT) cost the

government C$4.35 billion in 2006.

In Calgary alone, we estimate that at least C$320 million

is being spent on homelessness every year, much of it on

expensive public systems like health care and jail.

People experiencing homelessness have poorer health

than the average Canadian, often having one or more

chronic conditions, as well as untreated mental health

and addictions issues.

Multiple emergency health visits followed by death at a

young age is a reality for many homeless people, who

are three to four times more likely to die prematurely than

non-homeless people of the same age.

In a recent survey by the Calgary homeless foundation,

nearly 80 percent of homeless people interviewed

reported spending time in jail over the last year.

Research and recent Canadian experience shows

that affordable and supportive housing is five times less

expensive than our current institutional responses to

homelessness (jails, hospitals) and about half the cost of

emergency shelter.

COMING TO GRIPS wITH THE PROBLEM

In 2007, faced with a homelessness disaster in Calgary

getting worse no matter what we tried, business leaders

gathered a cross section of community members to form

the Calgary Committee to End homelessness. Taking our

lead from successful programs in US, we embarked on

a 10 Year Plan to End homelessness driven by the belief

that ultimately it would cost less to fix homelessness than it

would to allow it to continue.

We estimated that if nothing was done and homelessness

continued to grow at the same rate as it had for the

decade before, well over C$9 billion would be spent on

homelessness over the next decade. By implementing

a 10 Year Plan to End homelessness, we believe we can

save over C$3.6 billion by 2018. That’s just in Calgary.

In March 2008, the Government of Alberta – run by the

same conservative party for nearly 40 years – became

the first and only government in Canada to commit itself

to ending homelessness in 10 years. Moreover, it has

committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the cause.

Why did Calgary’s conservative business elite lead a plan

to end homelessness? Because beyond the humanitarian

tragedy, homelessness an epic waste of taxpayer dollars.

A waste made all the more hard to swallow because it’s

entirely preventable.

THE CANADIAN EXPERIENCE The Canadian experience in deficit reduction shows that

deep, fast and unfocused cuts to housing and social

assistance programs are not really cuts at all – in fact,

governments are in effect deferring payment on housing

and social assistance into the future several years, and

shifting added cost to other lines on the government’s

balance sheet.

If you have to take any deficit fighting lessons from

Canada take from us that “arbitrary and unreasonable”

cuts to housing and social assistance that are too deep

or unfocused will do more harm than good and cost

taxpayers more in the long term.


FEATURES CONNECT | WINTER 2010

But our country has a long and proud tradition of

welcoming newcomers who have had to flee from their

own country.

Today the UK maintains that tradition of offering

protection, albeit after a painful and often debilitating

process, to people fleeing from countries such as Somalia,

Eritrea, Iran, Afghanistan and China. The one common

denominator of these countries is their scant regard for

human rights.

In the current debate around wider economic migration,

it is vitally important to focus on the reasons why

people seek asylum and refugee status. To address this

fundamental question, we commissioned Dr. heaven

Crawley at Swansea University to undertake a qualitative

piece of research to develop a better understanding of

why people seek asylum in the UK. The resulting report,

Chance or Choice, is a graphic and harrowing collection

of personal tales of why people had to flee their homes

and also of how little they knew about the UK, or, indeed,

of their final destination. They were desperate to go

anywhere safe. This report can be downloaded from the

Refugee Council at: http://bit.ly/e9Z7wE.

DeStInatIon Unknown

Asylum and housing hit the news again recently when Birmingham City Council was reported as wanting to stop accepting asylum seekers because councillors wanted to give homes to local people instead (Telegraph 8th October 2010).

When a person comes to the UK, they need to make a

formal asylum application within 72 hours at the home

Office in Croydon. Upon making such an application,

they will receive asylum support (around 70% of income

support), be refused the right to work and then be

dispersed to accommodation in any one of the four

corners of the UK. This position will be sustained until a

decision is made by the UK Border Agency (the arms

length agency of the home Office).

Yet why was it when in 2009 the Asylum Support

Partnership (the NGOs delivering support to asylum

seekers) studied in detail the accommodation of their

clients they found that 48% or 1972 visits to their offices

were made by destitute people? Download the PDf

from the Refugee Council website: http://bit.ly/fgzOF8.

Around 30% of these clients were destitute because

of delays in processing asylum support. This is just

unacceptable. Since the publication of this report the

NGOs have worked hard with the UKBA to address this

problem.

The more deep rooted problem was the 60% of destitute

clients who were destitute because they were refused

asylum seekers.

What is even more revealing is that 50% of all visits by such

destitute people were from just four countries: Iraq, Iran,

Eritrea and Zimbabwe.

So there is both the issue of administrative failing causing

destitution and of some refused asylum seekers for whom

return to their home country in the short-term is difficult if

not impossible.

Yet even for those of our clients who do receive refugee

Jonathan Ellis, Director of Advocacy at the Refugee Council, describes the weaknesses in the asylum system and the urgent need for change in public policy in this area.


CONNECT | WINTER 2010 FEATURES

download from the Refugee Council website) it seems to

have done little to remove this perceived injustice from

the wider debate on migration.

In terms of developing our public policy on this issue,

we clearly need urgent action. for people still in the

asylum system, who find themselves destitute, NGOs at

a national, regional and local level need to continue to

be powerful advocates to ensure that destitution is not

caused by administrative failure. for those at the end of

the process, we need to be so much more creative. If

someone has exhausted their appeal rights, but return

to their home country is impossible, is destitution the only

viable public policy response? What about limited leave

to remain with the right to work as opposed to letting

them fester here with no home or income?

And for those who receive refugee status, we also

need to be much more imaginative. The Refugee

Council needs to work increasingly closely

with housing providers so that refugees are

supported in finding the best housing solutions

for them, and not just left to find their own

way and then run the risk of presenting at

homeless shelters.

If anything in this article has struck a chord with

you, we would be delighted to hear from you to

help us develop more creative ways to reduce

the risk of such destitution.

Email: [email protected]

status, the danger of destitution does not vanish.

Once you have received your refugee status, you are

given 28 days notice to leave your asylum support

accommodation. Now, if you have lived in this country

all your life, you might struggle to find a new home in that

time period. But if you are new to the country, English

is not your first language and you have no savings for

a deposit and advance rent, indeed you have been

expressly forbidden to work and hence unable to provide

for yourself, how on earth might you be expected to find

a home in 28 days?

for many of the refugees that I have spoken to, receiving

their status is the just the start of the battle. To avoid

becoming street homeless, many new refugees are

forced to turn to their own family and community to find

an initial home. At the Refugee Council over the last few

years, the importance of housing to our refugee clients

has become ever more central to our work. We are not

looking for special favours for our clients, but recognition

of their vulnerability and need for support to find a home.

It is, I think, of paramount importance to a refugee, who

has faced such insecurity and fear in their life, that we

are able to help them to find a safe and secure home

from which to rebuild their lives.

All of these operational challenges to support our clients

must be seen in the context of growing media hostility

to migrants in general and in particular to the view that

refugees receive preferential treatment in housing. The

fact that the Equality and human Rights Commission

investigated this allegation last year and found no

evidence to support it (see http://bit.ly/fzCNp3 PDf



A major Migration Policy Institute report estimates that 1.5 million Eastern Europeans have entered the Uk since 2004. Gill Perkins, Head of Communications, looks at the role of Homeless Link and its members in finding solutions to the growing number of migrants who find themselves destitute on our streets.

In 2004, while the majority of EU states put strong,

temporary, employment restrictions on their borders,

the UK welcomed the opportunity to increase its labour

market. Many A8 migrants believed Britain’s booming

economy offered the opportunity of a better standard

of living and arrived in far greater numbers than was

anticipated.

EARLY SIGNS OF A PROBLEMThe issue first appeared on homeless link’s radar when

some members raised concerns about queues of people

waiting outside day centres in the days and weeks

following accession in May 2004. They were struggling

to deal with a huge increase in demand. Most of these

people had no recourse to public funds, including

housing benefits, due to transitional arrangements put in

place before accession.

cee MIGratIon In the Uk

2006 RESEARCHIn March 2006 homeless link undertook the first research

into homelessness amongst this group.

The key findings• 15% of people seen using london homelessness

services were A8s, mainly Polish

• Two distinct groups emerged:

- Those relatively new to the streets with minimal

support needs (primarily language and

employment)

- A smaller group with more serious support needs,

common to longer-term rough sleeping. Without

intervention, this group’s problems were likely to

increase over time as a result of restrictions on their

entitlements.

You can read the executive summary on our website:

http://bit.ly/eJ5El3 (PDf download).

THE ACCELERATION OF THE PROBLEM In November 2008, we replicated this research, and found

that a quarter of rough sleepers were from Central and

Eastern Europe. The ChAIN database has since shown

a further rise in the absolute number of people from

A8 countries (and A2s since January 2007) on london’s

streets alongside an increase in the proportion of migrant

rough sleepers. See the article on page 18 for more

details.

The issue was recognised explicitly in the government’s

2008 strategy No One Left Out: Communities Ending Rough Sleeping.

SOLUTIONSMany agencies are adapting to meet the challenges

presented by this group, while specific services have

developed to meet additional needs, including

reconnection initiatives from Thames Reach and CRI.

You can read more about good practice in this edition

of Connect and at www.homeless.org.uk/central-eastern-europeans

wHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?No-one should be left destitute and excluded from basic

support in Twenty-first Century Britain. Rough sleeping

should not be an unintended consequence of policy.

We are campaigning nationally on the need to reduce

rough sleeping among migrants. We are working

with national government to “destitution-proof” new

proposals, especially around benefit changes or

future accessions. We are also encouraging national

government to work with local authorities to ensure that

all homeless people from CEE countries receive short-term

support from the appropriate services to enable them to

find work or return home.



theY coMe to work, not to USe SerVIceS

Supporting the growing number

of homeless CEE nationals is an

ever more pressing concern in the

economic downturn. Whilst many

of their compatriots have prospered in this country, others

have found themselves living rough on the streets. With

access to limited benefits, this could be for a variety of

reasons, such as employment contracts ending (perhaps

with tied accommodation) or because they have been

exploited by fraudulent employment agencies.

In the last year our dedicated work and learning coaches

have worked with 140 clients – mainly Polish, then

lithuanian and Czech - and supported 60 of these into

employment. Whilst substance misuse and mental health

issues are common, we find people are generally very

motivated to look for employment and, with the right

support, often find it reasonably quickly. They are often

willing to relocate anywhere in the UK, even moving as

far as from london to Scotland. Although most have

no formal UK qualifications, many have up to level 2

qualifications from their country of origin and some are

even more highly skilled.

We support our clients to overcome the barriers they face

be that language issues, a lack of documents, difficulties

writing CVs, getting a National Insurance number or

becoming self-employed. We also offer access to a range

of training opportunities.

however, despite our best efforts, some real problems

remain for our clients, not least the lack of access to

The majority of Central and Eastern Europeans (CEEs) want to work and get back on their feet, but need help to do so. Barnaby Green, Employment Team Leader at Crisis, reviews how they established a specialist programme for CEE clients with the support of funding from the Oak Foundation.

public funds, difficulties accessing detox services and

legal advice and a lack of accommodation. Many start

work while still rough sleeping.

At Crisis we are concerned that much of the debate

around helping CEEs focuses only on the enforcement

and reconnections. Whilst this has its place, there needs

to be a wider debate about what other support we can

offer. Better services will not attract people. People come

here wanting to work, not to use services or support and

most will have no idea about what services exist. We

need to ensure that the right services are available and

that we particularly address accommodation issues.

Otherwise, with unemployment continuing to rise, more

and more CEEs are likely to end up with no choice but to

sleep on the streets.

caSe StUDY After 6 months working in the UK, RK (a lithuanian

man in his 30s) lost his job and became street

homeless. he came to Crisis with no ID or NI

number and speaking no English. We helped

him to get new documents, registered him

into ESOl classes, CSCS and our job club. We

supported him to find a job and were then able

to get him into some short term accommodation

to help him sustain employment. RK now works

as a kitchen porter and lives in private rented

accommodation.


CONNECT | WINTER 2010FEATURES

Unknown tranSItIonS

Next year signals the seventh anniversary of the A8 accession process, the point at which the 2004 Transitional Arrangements across the EU are due to cease. Paul Anderson, Head of London at Homeless Link, considers the question many are now asking: what will the entitlement status of A8 nationals be when the transitional arrangements end in April 2011?

When the Czech

Republic, Estonia,

hungary, latvia,

lithuania, Poland,

Slovakia and Slovenia

joined the EU on 1

May 2004, all but

three existing members of the EU put quite stringent

transitional labour market restrictions in place. Three

states, Ireland, Sweden and the UK, chose not to do

this. Instead of considering restrictions similar to those

applied to Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, our government

introduced:

• The Workers Registration Scheme: workers were

supposed to make a registration payment once

in employment, although it did not apply to self-

employment. In spite of its clear limitations, the WRS

was often used as the official government measure of

A8 migration to the UK.

• Restrictions around access to Public funds: individuals

from A8 countries were not entitled to many Welfare

Benefits or statutory homelessness Assistance unless

they had enjoyed an unbroken period of work or were

in employment at the time of application.

Under European law, Transitional Arrangements like

these can be introduced initially for three years, with

the possibility of two consecutive two year extensions,

if there is an economic need. The UK government took

advantage of both extensions.

however, next May will see the seventh anniversary of the

accession. There are no more extensions available.

Along with many homelessness agencies, local

authorities and A8 migrants, we are wondering what will

happen next?

Some parts of the media are certain they know. In March

the Mail on Sunday stated “from April 2011, immigrants

from Poland, Estonia, latvia, hungary, lithuania, Slovakia,

Slovenia and the Czech Republic – where income

levels are 40 per cent of the European average – will

be allowed to claim Jobseekers’ Allowance and other

benefits after just three months.” So is the Mail right?

All the evidence appears to be that from next May A8

migrants will have the same rights to work and claim

benefits in the UK as all other EU nationals coming into the

UK, subject to a habitual Residence Test, first introduced

in 1994 with the professed aim of ending ‘benefit tourism’.

In January 2010 The house of Commons library published

a briefing for Members of Parliament (SN/SP/416)

reiterating some of the workings of the hRT. Specifically, it

raised a number of key points relevant to the A8 eligibility

question:

• All EU citizens who have recently arrived in the

country claiming certain means-tested social security

benefits, or seek housing assistance, must show they

are ‘habitually resident’. This includes returning UK

nationals. A person who fails the hRT is treated as a

‘person from abroad’ and is ineligible for benefits.



• There is no definitive list of factors which determines

whether a person is habitually resident. Precedent

has established that things that should be considered

include, but are not exclusive to:

a) The length, continuity and general

nature of actual residence

b) Reasons for coming to the UK

c) The claimant’s future intentions

• The DWP or council approached by a claimant should

look at each case individually and consider all the

relevant facts in the light of the case law before

reaching a decision. The decision about whether or

not someone is habitually resident should be made

on the balance of probabilities, with the onus of proof

lying with the DWP or local authority.

The briefing also stated: “In practice, it is only people

who are identified from their benefit claim details as

having come/returned to the UK within the last two

years immediately prior to their claim who are actively

subjected to the habitual residence test. (Originally the

period was five years, but this was reduced as one of

the outcomes following the Government’s review of the

habitual residence test – 14 June 1999).”

however, while this is not a bad overview, the

implementation of the hRT is a lot less clear than the

briefing suggests. how complicated might it be for staff

at Job Centre Plus or local authorities to assess the former

and future intentions of, for example, a Polish man I once

met. he had arrived in the UK a number of years ago

under the Transitional Arrangements. he now has no

documents, has never been on the Workers Registration

Scheme, has been sleeping on the streets, says he does

not want to return home and does not speak English. lives

like his are rarely straightforward to assess or balance on

a form.

In the current climate around benefits it seems unlikely

that the Mail is right, but we can’t make any assumptions

yet. We now have to wait until we have seen the first test

cases next year to know how exactly how the hRT is going

to be applied for A8 migrants.

SUrVIVInG the cUtS 8 FEBRUARY 2011 | LONDON

For more information or to book your place:T: 020 7840 4461 E: [email protected]

www.HOMELESS.ORG.Uk/SURVIVING-THE-CUTS

One day conference looking at the impact of the spending review and how to protect your service against the cuts. This event will:• explore the pressures that agencies are facing and share resulting

strategies to deal with them

• share practical ways to safeguard your service and deliver the

required efficiencies

• explore new opportunities that these changes will create

• look at how you can demonstrate the difference that you make in

order to generate support for your work

• empower you to change through campaigning and local influencing.

We need to harness our knowledge, passion and resilience that we have

shown so often in tackling homelessness, to face the challenges ahead

and improve the long-term prospects for our clients.



Homelessness and destitution are a daily reality for hundreds of people seeking asylum who have been refused protection but feel they cannot return to their home country. Julia Ravenscroft, of the national charity Refugee Action, looks at the situation of people caught in ‘limbo’ and some of the ways destitution could be prevented.

This year, millions of people got a glimpse into the lives

of destitute asylum seekers when Channel 4’s The Secret

Millionaire highlighted their plight and the work of

Refugee Action in leicester.

Millionaire Jahan Abedi was shocked when he met

several Zimbabwean men sharing a small room and a

grandmother from Rwanda who had been surviving

hand-to-mouth for some years. All had been refused

asylum and told to return to their home country or they

would lose all support. fully refused asylum seekers

are given 21 days before their housing and support is

removed. Many of those Mr Abedi met felt their cases

had not been properly heard and, as asylum seekers are

not allowed to work, had found themselves on the fringes

of society.

A report produced in June this year by leicester Refugee

and Asylum Seekers Voluntary Sector forum revealed that

of 225 destitute asylum seekers surveyed, 131 had been

Secret MIllIonaIre GIVeS DeStItUte woMen a freSh Start

without support for more than a year, with 48 saying they

had been in the that situation for 5 years.

Mr Abedi’s donation to Refugee Action is helping to set

up a project for destitute women in leicester called fresh

Start. The women will be housed for up to 6 months and a

Refugee Action case worker will work closely with them to

help find a solution to their cases.

The problem of destitution stretches far beyond the

boundaries of leicester, however.

Refugee Action believes that one of the ways to prevent

destitution at the end of the process is to improve the

information people get at the beginning and the support

they receive throughout.

The charity has been piloting a scheme in liverpool

called the Key Worker Pilot (KWP) which supports 200

people over 12 months. A designated key worker advises

each asylum seeker from the outset with information

about the asylum system and likely outcomes. The

worker assists each person to access a solicitor and feel

supported. Six months into the pilot, 36 per cent of people

have received a positive decision - far higher than the

national average. In addition, fewer cases are successful

on appeal, indicating that the KWP is contributing

towards more correct decisions at the initial home Office

interview.

Dave Garratt, acting Chief Executive of Refugee Action,

said: “The KWP and fresh Start are about providing

sustainable solutions for people so that they don’t fall

through the cracks and become destitute. The majority

of people claim asylum in good faith and those who

are rejected are often totally unprepared. By receiving

independent support and building up a trust relationship,

key workers give people help and realistic advice and we

are seeing positive results from this approach.”



DeStItUtIon In the leIceSter aSYlUM SYSteMAsylum seekers are still sleeping on the streets, sofa-

surfing and living hand-to-mouth, according to the

fifth annual report on destitution in leicester. The

survey, entitled Destitution in the Asylum System in

leicester, was carried out by Refugee Action, the

British Red Cross, The Assist Surgery, leicester Aids

Support Service (lASS), the leicestershire Congolese

Mutual Group and the Welcome Project.

The report shows that some people had become

destitute because their asylum claim had been

rejected, but they had not returned back to

their home country, while seven said they were

temporarily destitute because of delays in

getting support after they had received a positive

decision. Others cited issues like the lack of legal

representation and administrative errors as the

reason.

Kasim, an asylum seeker from Burundi, said he is

waiting to see if he will be entitled to section 4

voucher support and in the meantime he is destitute.

he said: “Occasionally I can stay with friends, but

mostly I have to sleep rough. I am lucky to get

one meal a day and I have no access to cooking

facilities. I don’t care for myself because I don’t know

what will happen to me that day. I don’t know where

I will sleep tonight. I feel dead inside. Not hungry, not

sad. Just fearful and dead.”

If an asylum seeker has their claim fully refused their

support is removed unless they sign up to return

home voluntarily, they are too sick to travel or the

home Office rules that there is no safe route of return.

If none of these applies, then any support is removed

within 21 days. Asylum seekers are not allowed to

work to support themselves. Many stay rather than

return to their home country.

Amanda Soraghan, area manager of the charity

Refugee Action in leicester, said: “This report shows

that are still many people living on the streets of

leicester who have been refused asylum but who

say they are too afraid to go home.



the cee StorY In StatSBecky Rice, Research and Information Manager at Broadway, describes what CHAIN tells us about rough sleeping amongst Central and Eastern European nationals.

ChAIN is used to record work undertaken by outreach

teams and other homelessness services across london.

The system focuses on those contacted on the street and

does not cover hidden homeless groups such as ‘sofa

surfers’.

In 2009/10 just over a quarter (845) of those seen rough

sleeping by outreach teams were from Central and

Eastern European (CEE) countries. The table below shows

the increasing proportion of rough sleepers who are from

CEE countries over the last five years from 9% in 2005/06

to the 2009/10 level. In 2009/10 47% of people seen rough

sleeping from CEE countries were Polish. The next largest

group was lithuanians (14%). People from ten accession

countries were represented.

PROPORTION OF PEOPLE SEEN ROUGH SLEEPING FROM THE Uk, CEE COUNTRIES & OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: 2005/06 – 2000/10

Nationality 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10

UK 64% 62% 58% 58% 52%

CEE 9% 11% 14% 18% 26%

Other Europe (inc. Italy & Portugal)

8% 9% 7% 8% 7%

The graph below reveals that CEE rough sleeping is

having an increasing influence in the slight upwards trend

in people seen rough sleeping (as analysed in monthly

periods since May 2007). This is demonstrated by the gap

between the top two trend lines on the graph. In fact,

where CEE rough sleepers are excluded there is a slight

downward trend in the number of people seen rough

sleeping over recent years.

PEOPLE SEEN ROUGH SLEEPING wITH TREND LINES FOR ALL ROUGH SLEEPERS, ALL EXCLUDING CEE PEOPLE AND CEE PEOPLE ONLY

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Oct-07Dec-07Feb-08Apr-08Jun-08Aug-08Oct-08Dec-08Feb-09Apr-09Jun-09Aug-09Oct-09Dec-09Feb-10Apr-10Jun-10Aug-10

All CEE Without CEE

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900Oct-07D

ec-07 Feb-08 Apr-08 Jun-08A

ug-08 Oct-08D


ug-09 Oct-09D


ug-10

All

CEEW

ithout CEE

Oct-07

Dec-07

Feb-08

Apr-08

Jun-08

Aug-08

Oct-08

Dec-08

Feb-09

Apr-09

Jun-09

Aug-09

Oct-09

Dec-09

Feb-10

Apr-10

Jun-10

Aug-10



There is clear evidence that some people from CEE

countries are becoming more long term rough sleepers

in london. Three quarters of CEE clients were ‘flow’ i.e.

new to the streets in 2009/10. The remaining quarter were

largely ‘stock’ clients i.e. people who were seen rough

sleeping in two or more consecutive years. Just over one

in ten of CEE clients (12%) seen rough sleeping in 2009/10

were first contacted in 2007 or before.

In a recent Broadway study about new rough sleepers,

CEE rough sleepers situations varied from having serious

alcohol problems and rough sleeping with little prospect

of finding work, to those for whom tied accommodation

had ended, and those skilled and ready to work but

unable to secure the jobs they had expected.

2009/10 saw a marked increase in the number of

records on ChAIN showing CEEs accessing short term

accommodation. The largest contributors to this were

the Severe Weather Emergency Provision available to

all rough sleepers in very cold weather and the Olallo

Project which specifically focuses on providing ‘short term

accommodation and help for migrants, with no recourse

to public funds.’

Just over 120 people are identified on ChAIN as having

been advised or supported to return to a home area

in 2009/10. Information from the new ChAIN system

(launched in May 2010) will be far more comprehensive in

this area.

CHAIN TELLS US:• Tackling rough sleeping amongst CEE people is a

central component of ending rough sleeping

• The group is diverse and a range of approaches will

be required to end rough sleeping in this group

• There is a flow of people into the streets who are likely

to find paid work with short term support around

employment and accommodation

• There are CEE people who have worked in the UK, but

are very vulnerable to rough sleeping whenever they

fall out of work due to benefits restrictions

• There are people who have slept rough for a

considerable period of time with little prospect for

finding work.

• Alcohol misuse is a key issue in longer term rough

sleeping in this group with a quarter of all CEE

rough sleepers having an alcohol support need.

This compares with 60% of the ‘stock’ of CEE rough

sleepers (so people seen in two or more years) who

have a need in this area.



or do not have a genuine prospect of doing so, the UK

Border Agency expects them to return home.

Support services are available for those who want to

return home or who are willing to contribute to the

community. Over 230 people have returned home

voluntarily so far with help to find accommodation and

be reconnected with friends and family, whilst others

have taken up the offer of support back into employment.

Removal action is only taken in cases where the individual

consistently refuses this support and is left destitute. 55

people have been administratively removed since the

start of the project.

We are starting to see positive results of demonstrating

that EU nationals without a right to reside should return

home. for instance, the most recent head count by

Peterborough City Council showed a significantly

reduced number of EU nationals sleeping rough – 26

compared to 63 when this new approach launched.

We have been pleased with the results to date and

are currently evaluating the effectiveness and resource

implications of the pilot before deciding whether to roll

out this approach nationally.

to Be or not to Be – the DeBate on aDMInIStratIVe reMoVal

Hannah Gregory, Deputy Director for London at the Uk Border Agency reviews the case for administrative removal.

The UK Border Agency has been working with partner

agencies, including local authorities, the police and

street Outreach workers trialling a new approach to

tackle the issue of rough sleeping among those with no

legal right to stay in the UK. Rough sleeping can often

be associated with anti-social behaviour and also

prove to be a serious health threat to the rough sleepers

themselves.

The project developed through a noticeable increase in

the proportion of non-UK and particularly nationals of the

newer European Member States rough sleeping in london

and other areas. The UK Border Agency was asked to

attend the Greater london Authority’s Rough Sleeping

Delivery Board. At this board we committed to explore

the legal and resource implications of using our powers

under European law. In April this year, we began a full

pilot in six areas to test this approach with our partners,

with a particular focus on Westminster and Peterborough,

The legal position is that European nationals who have

been in the country for longer than three months have

to be working, studying, self-employed or self-sufficient in

order to have a legal right to stay in the UK. If they are not,

IN RESPONSE TO HIGH LEVELS OF ROUGH SLEEPING AMONGST FOREIGN NATIONALS, UkBA IS PILOTING ADMINISTRATIVE REMOVAL IN PARTNERSHIP wITH OTHER AGENCIES IN SEVERAL AREAS OF THE Uk. ALTHOUGH EU NATIONALS ARE FREE TO MOVE BETwEEN NATION STATES’ BORDERS, THEY CAN BE REMOVED IF THEY CANNOT PROVE THEY ARE SELF SUFFICIENT (IE wORkING) THREE MONTHS AFTER COMING TO THE Uk. UNLIkE DEPORTATION, ADMINISTRATIVE REMOVAL DOES NOT BAR SOMEONE FROM APPLYING TO RETURN TO THE Uk IF HE OR SHE CAN MEET THE REqUIREMENTS OF THE IMMIGRATION RULES FOR COMING TO THE Uk. CONNECT MAGAZINE LOOkS AT SOME OF THE PERSPECTIVES ON THIS TOPICAL ISSUE.



Ruth Grove-white, Policy Officer at Migrants’ Rights Network gives her view on the problems associated with expelling Eastern European Rough Sleepers.

The new UKBA pilot scheme to remove

homeless EU nationals who do not want to leave the

UK offers an apparently simple solution to a growing

problem for many local authorities and frontline charities

across the UK. At first glance, it seems like a no-brainer.

Surely, when foreign nationals are entrenched in rough

sleeping and appear beyond the help of the authorities,

the immigration authorities should help to return them

back to their home country where they can receive the

assistance they need?

But the disquiet from lawyers and advocacy groups

in response to the pilot programme indicates that the

solution to this problem may not be so simple. Instead,

the approach taken by the UKBA pilot risks worsening the

problems faced by migrants, whilst generating mistrust

and fear within local communities.

Of course the rise in homelessness among EU migrants

must be tackled. But we need to be honest about the

wider causes of this trend. Reports from community-

based organisations indicate that the slide into

homelessness for migrants living here often arises from a

series of bad experiences. homeless EU migrants have

commonly experienced exploitation within the labour

market, poor treatment in the private housing sector and

a lack of wider community support.

for many Eastern European migrants, these difficulties

have been worsened by the fact that they have far more

restricted access to social benefits and housing than

British citizens and most other EU migrants. The expulsion

programme does nothing to address these issues,

but instead appears to punish the most vulnerable of

migrants when they are at their lowest.

Even on its own terms, the pilot can only have a limited

impact, as it is dealing with European nationals.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many simply return to

the UK – their legal right as European citizens with the right

to free movement across the EU. Removing European

migrants under these circumstances may well also turn

out to be unlawful under EU law – an assertion made by

prominent human rights lawyers in the field and as yet

untested in the courts.

Given these considerations, the UKBA pilot programme

looks far from being a handy solution to homelessness

among EU nationals. We need to call for a full and open

review of this pilot, in order that a more sustainable and

humane solution to these problems can be found.

forThere should be no reason for anyone to sleep

rough in london. It harms the individual and it

harms communities. As such Broadway actively

supports a range of interventions necessary

to support, challenge and inspire people to

come off the streets. What does that mean

for the UKBA initiative? Well we fully support

it as an important part of a wider approach

and alongside other interventions from more

‘personalised’ support, through support from

BARKA and others to the more traditional street

outreach approaches. If all are used sensitively

and appropriately in a coherent and thought

through way then the vision of a capital where

no-one needs to spend a second night out

could and should be realised.

Howard Sinclair, Chief Executive, Broadway Homelessness and Supportwww.broadwaylondon.org

aGaInStThere is a strong thread running through all the

major world religions which is about caring for

the needy and offering hospitality to strangers.

With that as a starting point the immediate

moral response to destitute migrants is shelter

and support. for Christians there is also a deep

appreciation of the sanctity of the individual as

a carrier of the image of God. from this flows

respect for individual freedom and a concern

about the morality of actions which curtail that

freedom when no harm is taking place. A fully

moral response would perhaps take time to

discern the situation of each person, providing

both a welcome and a stepping stone,

regardless of origin or status.

Alison Gelder, Chief Executive, Housing Justicewww.housingjustice.org.uk



In the six years following the expansion of the European Union in May 2004 an estimated 20,000 people moved to Peterborough from primarily former Eastern Bloc nations. Sarah Hebblethwaite, Homelessness Prevention Manager at Peterborough City Council describes the approach they are using to help find solutions for this group.

While the vast majority of these new arrivals succeeded

in finding employment and homes, a small number failed

to achieve their aims and resorted to living rough, often in

tarpaulin bivouacs and tents pitched in wooded areas on

the fringes of the city.

By spring 2009 outreach workers identified around 60

rough sleepers in Peterborough – numbers more often

experienced by inner london boroughs.

Rough sleepers invariably descend into a spiral of poor

health, drink or drug dependency, exploitation by

unscrupulous employers, danger of physical harm and

criminal activity such as shoplifting and begging. Well-

meaning groups that offer them hand-outs of food and

clothing only help perpetuate their deplorable condition.

At the same time, local residents feel intimidated and

excluded from public open spaces where rough sleepers

are camping and feel threatened when accosted by

drunks or beggars on the streets.

Clearly, these scenarios are unacceptable in civilised, 21st

century societies.

Peterborough City Council appealed for help from the

Department for Communities and local Government

(DClG), which engaged social care charity CRI in

assisting destitute rough sleepers re-establish a dignified

existence by returning to the security of their home

countries.

peterBoroUGh takeS coMpaSSIonate actIon

CRI was instrumental in assisting 34 people re-connect

with their home communities between September 2009

and March 2010. however, more help was needed.

Beginning in April 2010, the UK Border Agency supported

a pilot project in Peterborough focusing on solving the

challenges faced by rough sleepers and communities

affected by their presence.

Outreach workers typically offer rough sleepers advice

on finding work, accommodation and help in tackling

drink and drug dependency. Between April and

September 24 found work accommodation, or left the

streets; 23 voluntarily returned to their home countries;

and, following formal serving of notices, 11 were

administratively removed by UKBA.

We know of only two people who have come back to

Peterborough after returning home. however, a further 25

new arrivals have begun sleeping rough in Peterborough

so our efforts continue.

I am convinced that this approach serves the best

interests of the rough sleepers and, in all but one case,

those returning to their home countries have thanked me

for my help and shaken hands before departing.

The European Union treaty allows residents of A10

member states to live in the UK provided they can support

themselves. The compassionate response is to help any

who become destitute rough-sleepers to regain their

dignity by returning to their home countries where they

will have the support of family, friends and a modern

social system.

from my observations of the pitiable existence of rough

sleepers, I believe this joint approach with UK Border

Agency meets the long-term best interests primarily of the

rough-sleepers themselves.



Migrant homelessness has a face – that of a refused

asylum seeker who “should not be here” but cannot

return to his home country ravaged by war; or that of a

battered wife who cannot return to her abusive husband;

or that of an Eastern European worker who perhaps lost

a live-in job before becoming eligible for mainstream

benefits. Praxis – a charity providing support to vulnerable

migrants, including those with no recourse to public funds

– increasingly sees homeless migrants on its doorstep.

wHAT AVENUES OF SUPPORT?As a rule, migrants’ homelessness is not a standalone

problem. In a vast majority of cases a migrant’s

immigration status has a direct bearing on it, especially

if it bars them from accessing conventional sources of

housing support. An adviser working with these clients

faces a peculiar tension between the length of time

immigration issues take to resolve and the immediacy

and urgency of the problems caused or aggravated

by homelessness. While the immigration status remains

insecure, the adviser is often unable to rely on the

conventional channels of support. The existing channels

can be expected to further dry out as a result of cuts

and there is already worrying news about the possible

closure of the few specialist housing projects for the

most vulnerable clients – such as the victims of domestic

violence or trafficked women.

REBUILDING THE LINkShowever, while the immigration status has a lot to do

reBUIlDInG SocIal tIeS: a waY oUt of hoMeleSSneSS for MIGrantS

with the migrants’ homelessness, it is not all that. Some

migrants remain homeless and destitute some time after

having been granted status. It would be more fruitful to

regard it as a symptom of a broader social exclusion of a

migrant – of his or her alienation from the society as much

as the society’s alienation from him. It is a symptom of

the rupture of, or at the very least of a heavy strain on,

the numerous and subtle ties and networks which, in the

normal course of events, do not let a person end up on

the street. A lasting and viable solution to homelessness

of migrants will necessarily include the rebuilding of these

links or creation of the new ones.

In summer, the Red Cross reported a surge of support

and sympathy in response to its report on the destitution

of asylum seekers in Britain (“Not Gone But forgotten”,

June 2010). Praxis, together with other organisations and

individuals who form part of the No Accommodation

network, has been trying to activate the resources of the

community and create support networks and alternative

housing provision for undocumented migrants. We are

working to expand the provision of long-term, short-term

and emergency housing for homeless forced migrants in

london through local hosting projects and emergency

shelters.

To find out more or get involved, please contact Praxis on 0207-729 7985, or email [email protected]

Homelessness is not something that is specific to the situation of undocumented migrants. However, migrants are more prone to succumb to homelessness and its devastating consequences. Tatiana Tomayeva talks about the work of Praxis in supporting this vulnerable group.



DYInG or DIGnItY?

The Reconnection team helped Andris into an alcohol

detox centre where he was able to get immediate help

in tackling his addiction to the super-strength drinks that

were killing him. lydia, a relief worker with the team,

visited Andris regularly at the centre to bring him clean

clothes and talk with him in his own language about how

he was doing and about his options for the future.

Andris expressed a desire to return to latvia, but was

worried about finding accommodation and how he

would cope. The Reconnection team was able to

arrange for Andris to return to latvia and link him with

specialist support in his own country. On arrival at Riga

airport Andris and lydia were met by a social worker who

made an assessment based on his needs. Andris was

able to claim social benefit allowance immediately, and,

after a spell in an alcohol rehabilitation centre in Riga, he

moved into his own room in a hostel there.

Without the help and support of the london

Reconnection Team, Andris admits he would probably

be dead now. Instead he is living in his own space and

receiving the support he needs to get his life back on

track.

The vast majority of people that have come to live in

the UK from Central and Eastern Europe have settled

and prospered. however for a small minority, like Andris,

it has been a real struggle. following the expansion of

the European Union, there has been a steady increase in

the number of people from Central and Eastern Europe

The dual strain of sleeping rough on the streets of west London for over six years coupled with an addiction to deadly super-strength drinks almost cost Andris* his life. warned by a doctor that he was likely to die unless he sought treatment for his alcohol problems, Andris faced a crucial decision – stay on the streets and risk dying or seek help. Andris made the decision to get off the street. After being helped by outreach workers in west London, he was referred to Thames Reach’s London Reconnection Project. Ben Hennessy from Thames Reach talks about the work of their Reconnection team.

sleeping rough in the capital. The latest figures indicate

that 26 per cent of london’s rough sleepers originate

from countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Unlike UK

citizens, they are unable to claim benefits unless they

have been working and paying national insurance

contributions for at least a year. This means that our

outreach teams are unable to house them in london’s

hostels – the first port of call for many rough sleepers – as

they cannot claim housing benefit.

Thames Reach’s london Reconnection Team was

founded in early 2009 to help these people living on the



streets in desperate circumstances who didn’t have the

welfare state safety net available for UK citizens. This

team has now helped more than 400 Central and Eastern

Europeans to return home to their families and into the

services which can help them get their lives back on

track.

Many of the people living on the streets have serious

alcohol problems and have taken to drinking the strong,

cheap and dangerous white ciders such as White Ace.

Some individuals have also been drinking alcoholic hand

wash stolen from hospitals with tragic consequences.

Thames Reach staff are aware of at least four deaths

attributed to people drinking the hand wash. We work

closely with services such as Barka UK and alcohol

rehabilitation schemes in Central and Eastern Europe to

help people return home safely and with dignity.

There are many success stories. A lithuanian national

who had been sleeping rough in east london for more

than four years and had an addiction to super-strength

cider was helped off the streets by the Reconnection

Project soon after they launched. After returning home

he received the necessary treatment for his alcohol

problems, was reunited with his family and has now found

work again as a lorry driver.

Thames Reach is also trying to help Central and Eastern

Europeans find work and private accommodation so they

can make a success of their lives in the UK. however,

many are very ill due to their desperate living conditions

and alcohol dependency, and also have poor English

language skills. The result is that in a time when jobs

are difficult to come by – one hospital cleaning job in

london recently attracted 70 applicants – many will find it

impossible to get work.

Ultimately, the aim of the london Reconnection Project is

to prevent the unnecessary deaths of Central and Eastern

Europeans sleeping rough in the capital.

Megan Stewart runs the London Reconnection Project: “Some of the people we’ve helped since the service launched have been found living in the most appalling conditions. If someone wants to return home, we can help them to do so with dignity, ensuring the relevant support is available at all stages of the process.”



wIth no proSpectS, a Black eYe anD a plaStIc BaG

CAN YOU DESCRIBE IN BRIEF THE ACTIVITIES OF BARkA Uk?

We reconnect, we

retrain and integrate,

and we replicate. Our primary function when we first

arrived was to engage with Eastern European rough

sleepers, working with them to help them return to their

families or to Barka centres in Poland, trying to engage

with them enough to let us help them. We also run a

Social Economy centre, offering training and support in

maintaining and gaining employment to those who are

ready for the UK jobs market. finally, we want to replicate

our approach within other agencies through special

training programs.

YOU HAVE qUITE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THAT OF AGENCIES wHO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM THROUGH ENFORCEMENT.

Enforcement is not an approach we can support.

It focuses solely on a person’s destitution - the most

negative part their existence. Our work has been

successful because it is based on trust, on real human

relationships.

While enforcement might solve the issue locally, it does

nothing for the vulnerable individuals at the centre.

In 2007, concerned by a rise in A8 homelessness, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham asked for help from the Barka Foundation, known throughout Poland for their work with excluded and vulnerable people. Their mission, according to their website (www.barkuk.org) is “to provide severely excluded Eastern European migrants with the opportunity for reconnection and social reintegration.” Ewa Sadowska, Chief Executive of Barka Uk, explains that there is considerably more to it than that.

At the end of enforcement, their lives are still broken. It

lacks subtlety. Instead of enforcement there is a need for

solidarity. We do not even talk about reconnection when

we speak to these people. Who would engage with that?

We talk about rebuilding lives. We talk about home.

SO IN YOUR OwN APPROACH, wHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?

It is the most difficult thing to awaken trust in a person

who has suffered degradation and abuse. But it is the

most important part too. It is essential to reach out and

achieve a greater understanding of how that person

has arrived in their current situation. Self motivation is an

important factor in the recovery of any person, but they

are unlikely to experience it if they do not trust the people

who are trying to help them.

SO HOw DO YOU ENGAGE wITH PEOPLE?

Our experience shows most migrants who end up on

the streets are in their forties or fifties. They are, in a way,

limited by the histories and cultures of their countries. Most

of this communist generation cannot speak English; they

don’t understand democracy and free markets; they

do not trust authority. That is the level at which we have

to engage, which is why Barka’s leaders have been so

successful. Our leaders have been homeless or destitute

themselves. They build relationships and trust through

common experience.



AND IF THEY TAkE UP YOUR OFFER OF RECONNECTION, wHAT THEN?

Some return to their families. Others join Barka

communities throughout Poland, where they receive

support with social and physical rehabilitation, but

where they will also be given responsibility to help them

become part of their community. Some might become

Barka leaders, returning to help others. Some build their

own social enterprises. Our communities allow people

who have lost everything to realise their potential. In

these terms, reconnection becomes so much more than

returning them to their home country.

YOUR CHILDHOOD HOME wAS THE FIRST BARkA COMMUNITY. wHAT IMPACT DID THAT HAVE ON YOU PERSONALLY?

My mother and father founded the first Barka community

soon after the fall of communism in 1989. As a family we

shared our lives with a group of twenty people who had

been homeless or destitute or sex workers or incarcerated

or living otherwise intractable lives. It was a cooperative

where everyone worked on the land, helped run shops,

where everyone had a voice.

One man in particular, henryk, had spent twenty-five

years in prison. This big, one-eyed, long haired, tattooed

man could not shake off his prison habits when he joined

us. he sat alone at dinner, with his own cutlery and

crockery. he looked frightening, the sort of man parents

would steer their children away from. But one day my

two year old sister went and sat on his lap, clutching her

doll. he had never had any contact with children. he was

startled. he just sat there, with this little girl, full of trust,

smiling on his lap. he spoke of that moment later as the

beginning for him, the moment he began to integrate

with the community.

Events like that convinced me how important it is not only

to understand the mechanics of human collapse and

degradation, but also the potential of people to turn

themselves around. Growing up in that environment, with

my parents’ strong influence, this has become less of a

job than a vocation.

HOw DO YOU AIM TO REPLICATE THE BARkA APPROACH wITHIN OTHER ORGANISATIONS?

I do not think of it as the “Barka approach” – we are not

so much about a brand. It is simply a way that works and

which we believe could work more widely. We know that

when working with migrant communities, the best place

to train will be in the sending or receiving country – so we

will run these courses within Barka communities in Poland.

The location alone will provide a greater context for those

being trained, not to mention the fact that people we

have helped will be involved in the training.

IF OTHER ORGANISATIONS wERE TO TAkE ON BOARD ONE ASPECT OF YOUR APPROACH, wHAT wOULD YOU wANT THAT TO BE?

We have shown a proactive way of working with

vulnerable people. We do not treat them as clients or

service users. We treat people as partners – equals in

building communities and social enterprises, as well as

rebuilding their lives. The traditional Victorian charity

model is based on noble help providers and passive

help recipients. Such a hierarchy does not help. It is not

dignified. People prefer to be empowered and know that

it is they who provide for themselves and their families,

rather than being provided for.

This philosophy is at the heart of everything we do. Most

of our communities in Poland are on former state farms

over which Barka has taken possession. These farms are

in a terrible state when we move in, but we work with the

people who will live in these places, help them rebuild

them, create real community and sustainable homes.

Through this process it is possible to repair even the most

broken lives.

DOES THAT REALLY wORk IN PRACTICE?

Society once considered these people useless, yet the

Barka network consists of almost one hundred legal

entities – foundations, associations, social enterprises, self-

help groups – all run by people who came to us with a

black eye, a plastic bag and no prospects for the future.

When you see the work of Barka leaders, how they talk

with people, sit for hours with them on cardboard in the

streets, how they share their stories with such passion,

when you witness the change in some of the 1,248

people we have helped to go back, it is difficult not to be

inspired. The world needs the kind of message we can

take from their lives: that we can always rebuild.

Ewa presented the story of Barka’s beginnings recently at TEDx Cracow. watch the video on YouTube: http://ow.ly/3hrNdBarka Uk website: http://barkauk.org



workInG the SYSteM: olalloOlallo house opened at the end of December 2008. The

building wasn’t finished and we had no kitchens, but

with a high number of A10 nationals leaving the Crisis

Christmas provision we thought risking ten beds was

worthwhile. We fully opened in May 2009 – providing 32

beds at a central london location with a remit to “retrain

or reconnect” migrant workers who had become rough

sleepers. We decided on a residential service because

basic needs have to be met if people are to have any

chance of finding sustainable employment.

As with most new services we had a view of what we

could do – though not a clear picture. The focus was

always to be short term intervention and focussed support

around the issues that were preventing employment –

basic skills training, missing paperwork and understanding

the British system.

After we opened, a reconnection service was

commissioned for london so our focus became clearly

fixed on employment. We provide in house basic skills

training (certificated CSCS and food hygiene) courses

as well as English classes and daily jobsearch sessions.

We can also help with introductions to approved local

agencies and try to guide people through the “system”

– though this is so poorly administered (particularly issues

around NI numbers) that even experienced staff become

frustrated. It is no wonder so many people ended up

working outside of the system.

We have worked with more than 130 men and women

– and just over half of these have managed to find

work. Moving on from the project can be a problem

since private rented accommodation is the only option

– and that comes at a price. We fear that many will be

tempted to return to squats or illegal sublets – the kind of

Dave Barratt, Development Manager for the Olallo Project, an accommodation based retraining service for CEEs in London, describes the positive impact of their work, but is realistic about the ongoing difficulties of supporting this client group.

environments where maintaining work is very difficult and

a return to the streets more likely.

As a service it has been hugely challenging. The

differences in languages and cultures, the expectations

of individuals and the inequalities faced by our clients

make every intervention different. however, possibly the

biggest challenge is what to do when the desire to work

expressed by our clients greatly exceeds the possibilities

that will be opened up by the skills they have to offer. If

people cannot find work even with intensive assistance

and the offer of reconnection is not taken up, what then?

“there are many government agencies aware of this

problem but not one able to tackle it because there is no recourse to public funding.

people accept there is a real need. these are just

guys who are coming across looking for work, who are

often highly skilled and highly educated but who find that the legislative situation is so difficult they can’t get into

employment.” Dave Barrett, quoted in The Times, 3 April 2009



UR4Jobs at the Upper Room in Hammersmith is a specialist service that supports migrants from the new accession countries of Central & Eastern Europe and those with no recourse to public funds, improving their employability and to act as a one stop shop for information about living and working in the Uk.

The Upper Room is one of the few organisations to

offer such help to Central and Eastern European

Migrants, intervening in the cycle of destitution

and homelessness that is almost inevitable when

clients fail to find work or fall prey to widespread

exploitation.

They provide online information in English, Polish,

Romanian and other languages, on subjects ranging

caSe StUDY: Ur4JoBSfrom employment, training and a wide range of

practical living issues. Crucially, the service offers

support not only for migrants but also for the people

who work with them.

high levels of service user participation and a

welcoming atmosphere have produced a flourishing

project that helps to address and meet the basic

human needs of community and inclusion.

Over 930 people have registered with UR4Jobs since

it opened in November 2006 and the website is

accessed from all over the EU. It has assisted people

into work and training; with health issues and travel

home; with employment law and ID documents;

psychological support in their language of origin and

specialist services for migrant women.

Barka Uk was formed in 2007 after an invitation from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the Barka Foundation in Poland.

Their reconnections project has now worked in 12

london boroughs, as well as in Slough and Reading.

To date, 1,248 people have returned to Barka

programs in Poland, to their families, or to other

rehabilitation programs across Eastern Europe.

Barka also runs an employment project, designed

“for those who do not need to return, those who

are not yet on the bottom rung of existence but

who could soon be, without timely help.” The

Social Economy Centre, based in City and Tower

hamlets, helps Eastern Europeans gain and maintain

caSe StUDY: Barka Ukemployment. Services on offer include advice

from a job consultant, a psychologist, enterprise

development worker, lawyer, therapist – all working

with Eastern Europeans who are not entrenched,

those who are ready for the UK job market.

The challenge is often in balancing individuals’

needs and immediate potential. “Many people

want to work – that is why they came here,” says Ewa

Sadowska, Chief Executive of Barka UK. “But we often

have to explain to people that they are not ready,

that they will not be able to maintain employment

if they do not first mend themselves – go into detox,

rehabilitation, rebuild their lives back in their home

countries.”

In practIce



JerzY: ‘recYcleD cItIzen’

I came to london for a holiday at first, to visit my son

who was working here. I liked the place and there was

so much work available that I decided to stay, living in a

squat in an industrial area.

Most of the time, I was either drunk or getting ready for

my next drink. I drifted from one day to the next, not

thinking about settling or trying to make things better.

I had occasional moments of sobriety when I realised

that I should just go home. But then I would get drunk

again. I did nothing to stop my degradation.

When I lost my room at the squat, I took to sleeping

rough and became deeply rooted in street life.

That was where I met my son again, who had

been looking for me. It was a short and very

unpleasant meeting.

I visited The Broadway Centre, where I first met the

people from Barka. Some men were wary of them,

saying Barka worked with the authorities, which has

certain connotations for Polish people who remember

Communism. Even so, I felt immediately that I could trust

one of their leaders, Marek. like me, he had experienced

destitution too. That made him credible for me.

Barka took me back to Poland soon after, but it is not

Barka’s style to send someone home and consider the job

finished. I was still drinking and not thinking properly for

myself. It took a while but eventually I realised that I could

only turn my life around if I forget about work, family,

everything else, until I had first mended myself.

On 11th November 2007 I drank my last four beers during a

festival in Poznań. On that day I started my regeneration.

It took some time, but as I got my life together, the

Barka community gradually gave me greater trust and

responsibility. I now run a social enterprise in Poland, a

lakeside recreational settlement. I am also one of Barka’s

leaders – we call ourselves Recycled Citizens, currently

on my sixth cycle in london. like Marek, who helped me,

I work directly with homeless Polish people. Just as I saw

something of myself in Marek, I hope some of these men

see something of themselves in me. I help them to see

how things might be.

On 11th November this year, three years after my last

drink, I attended a memorial service at St Martin-in-the-

fields. They read many names of people who had died

homeless. I am thankful my name never appeared on

such a list.

In another life I should be at the bottom of the Thames right now. Or perhaps I might have found my way back to Poland by myself, but even then I would still be the same drunk Jerzy.



JaroSlaw: learnInG to trUSt

But in October 2009 I lost everything, all in a short space

of time. I lost my job, my family, my home. I became

destitute and, with nowhere to live, found my only escape

in alcohol. I think I only realised later that I had lost so

much more than my home. It was all so desperate. I felt so

shut out that I lost any real hope to live.

I didn’t care where I stayed. I slept rough in different

locations throughout King’s lynn. I would sleep wherever I

found myself. The weather became colder but I could do

little but walk around the town with no aim, no money, no

real wish to live. Then, before Christmas, I was offered the

chance to spend time in a warm environment and to eat

hot food. It did not seem real.

My first visits to the Purfleet Trust Day Centre

coincided with the very cold winter weather.

It was the coldest winter that I remember

since 2004 and, as temperatures dropped

below freezing, the Purfleet Trust opened

a severe weather emergency shelter.

During Christmas and in early 2010 I no

longer needed to sleep rough.

I was still drinking, but I was coming

to the Day Centre every day, so I

made an effort to drink less. I met other

homeless people there and started to

form friendships. The friendly and helpful

staff organised many different activities

including English and IT classes, and life skills

courses to help us become more confident

and proactive.

A lot changed for me. The Purfleet Trust helped me to

obtain a new passport. I was able to register at the

Jobcentre and soon after I was granted Job Seeker’s

Allowance. I moved into a hostel for homeless people

and have now become an active volunteer at Purfleet

Day Centre.

In September 2010 I moved from supported

accommodation to my own place where I really believe

that I can start again. It is a long, cold journey in the world

of homelessness where step by step you must learn to

trust, to live and to feel yourself being a useful part of the

community. It is the Purfleet Trust and all its staff who have

helped me take these steps into a new life.

Like many thousands of others, I arrived in the Uk from Poland in 2004. I had big plans before things went wrong. I was going to settle down, make a life in Britain - and for a long time I was successful. I found work, made a home and enjoyed family life for five years.



DIVerSe MISUSeThe challenges in understanding substance abuse amongst destitute migrants. Esther Sample, Policy Officer at Drugscope, looks at how insecure immigration status combined with the stress of migration and resettlement, means that many new migrants in the Uk are vulnerable not only to homelessness, but also a range of substance misuse problems.

Research has suggested that destitute asylum seekers

are particularly vulnerable to substance misuse. This is

not only due to trauma and mental health problems

developed from past experiences, but also social

isolation, poor health, unemployment and inadequate

housing. The level of alcohol problems amongst homeless

Central and Eastern European migrants has been well

documented, including extreme cases where individuals

have resorted to drinking lethal alcoholic hand wash from

hospitals. Some community services have developed

over recent years, such as Polish AA meetings, the

Eastern European Drug and Alcohol Support Group and

the specialist substance misuse service EACh (see case

study). however, these are rare, and since new migrants

are generally denied access to residential treatment and

other secondary healthcare, many are unaware of any

services available to them.

Even communities that do have recourse to public funds

can have difficultly accessing treatment services. There

is a lack of broadly translated information and outreach

work, and cultural factors such as stigma surrounding

substance misuse also play a negative role. foziha Raja

from EACh explains that in their experience, help seeking

behaviours vary greatly between ethnic community

groups. for example: ‘Asian men who develop alcohol

or drug problems are often settled in the UK and can

access healthcare and community support. In contrast,

for Somali clients, their religious beliefs mean there is a

greater risk of being ostracised from their community...

Tamil clients can also be particularly isolated, and have

little or no access to community support or statutory

services.’

It is time to develop a deeper understanding of how drug

trends can vary greatly between migrant groups – for

instance the use of the currently uncontrolled drug Khat,

commonly used in Somali and Ethiopian communities. This

understanding can only be built through further training

for drug/alcohol and homelessness services on how to

support different ethnic communities around substance

misuse, and increased investment in appropriate and

accessible treatment services.

Drug information in other languages is available from:

http://bit.ly/gAyfqc

caSe StUDY ETHNIC ALCOHOL COUNSELLING IN HOUNSLOw (EACH): 020 8577 6059 EACh is a voluntary sector organisation working

with diverse communities to deliver culturally

sensitive services to individuals and families

affected by drug and alcohol problems,

domestic violence and mental health concerns.

They offer a range of support, including

individual counselling in a number of community

languages and abstinence based programmes.

Their specific focus is on communities that are

traditionally hesitant in seeking such help.



SoMeone to worrY for Me

The people we work with have nothing. They receive

no official help. If they have no case pending or if they

have been released on temporary admission, they have

no access to public funding. They have no right to work.

They receive no support from Social Services. Their lack of

access to public funds, including housing benefits, means

that even homeless shelters will not admit them.

The Ex-Detainee Project is one of three key projects at

DDVG. We support people who have been released from

immigration detention, providing them with short-term

emergency support and long-term integration assistance.

Since January 2010, DDVG has worked with thirteen

homeless ex-detainees, providing them with emergency

accommodation for up to three days in hostels or local

hotels. We also provide food vouchers and refer ex-

detainees to other organisations, such as the British Red

Cross and the Refugee Council, while PRAXIS in london

has also provided invaluable help in finding long-term

solutions.

Dr. Soeren keil, Ex-Detainee Project Manager at the Dover Detainee Visitor Group (DDVG), explains how practical one-to-one assistance, along with personal support, can be the most valued and valuable form of help for homeless ex-detainees.

The most challenging part of the Ex-Detainee Project is

providing personal support for these people. Often, they

are failed asylum seekers or asylum seekers who cannot

be sent back to their countries for any number of reasons,

yet they arrive in the UK only to face discrimination in

various ways.

A key part of my own role is to identify a permanent

solution during the three days of emergency

accommodation. In all thirteen cases we have managed

to find permanent accommodation. We then continue

to offer essential support with travel expenses and

food vouchers, until assistance from the home Office

or from Social Services can be made available. Other

organisations, including the Coventry Peace house and

several religious groups, have also stepped in to offer a

longer term support role.

We are keen to form links and work closely with other

homelessness charities that can help us provide

emergency accommodation and also find medium and

long-term solutions for the people we support.

One person for whom we provided emergency

accommodation and who is now settled permanently in

Birmingham said in a feedback form that “anytime I had

contacted and talked to [DDVG], my bad feelings were

finished as I realised there is someone who thinks about

me, who is really worried for me and who wants to help

me and these points always give me hope.”

The Dover Detainee Visitor Group is a non-campaigning, non-political and independent charity, helping detainees in the Dover Immigration Removal Centre (DIRC), their families and ex-detainees. www.ddvg.org.uk

In June 2010 DDVG organised an Ex-Detainee Conference in Dover, where best practices for ex-detainees were discussed. More than 30 ex-detainees participated.



SolUtIonS that wIll StIck

Charles Fraser, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, describes the multi-agency response to Central and Eastern European migrants under the umbrella of the London Delivery Board alongside the initiatives that his own organisation is undertaking to devise solutions to this issue that will stick.

The phenomenon of Central and East European migrants

is of particular concern because of its scale. The ChAIN

figures show the proportion of rough sleepers in london

who are from the A10 countries as rising inexorably, from

9% in 2005, to double that – 18% in 2009. In 2010 it has

increased again, by nearly half, to 26%. The figures show

greater “churn” amongst this population than amongst

other groups of rough sleepers, with many people moving

on and off the streets quickly.

The main response has been reconnection, which

has worked with some. Another approach is to help

them find work. The UKBA is also pursuing an approach

of “administrative removal”, which can perhaps be

summarised as more assertive reconnection. The

recent launch of Routes home provides helpful advice

to workers wanting to point clients to organisations in

their own countries which can provide continuing help

and support. There has been no appetite amongst

policy makers and funders to support any provision to

emergency housing for this group (which we believe is

possible to do, notwithstanding the “no recourse to public

funds” restriction).

Within St Mungo’s we’re seeking to help them through

developing our own practice, pan-agency work and

educating clients themselves. We have an outreach

programme, for example, specifically tailored to this

group, in that our Southwark and Westminster teams have

dedicated CEE workers embedded in their teams.

We talk to people about their rights and responsibilities

when it comes to immigration and work legislation.

Where individuals are working, we look to support

them into private rented accommodation. We assist

direct reconnections to home areas. We also, however,

recognise that one of the major reasons that CEE

individuals may be resistant to returning home is the

shame felt at having failed in their goal of getting work

and securing their families’ economic future. We are

beginning a group, run by a Polish psychologist, to

explore this barrier to reconnection.

The Delivery Board has catalysed better joint working

on this issue. As an example, we are part of “Operation

Ark”, a multi-agency partnership involving Westminster

Council, the UKBA, the Met Police and Thamesreach,

which has mainly tackled reconnections. We are

all, though, very aware that there remain significant

challenges, not least the changing status of A8s from May

next year when they will have recourse to public funds

and be able to claim benefits. The impending cuts will

sharpen this challenge, but it’s imperative that we are all

able to find ways of rising to it.



ManaGInG people

I don’t blame you for being confused because it’s a

complex area, and one to which there are quite often

some changes so you need to keep your eye on the

relevant websites.

You need to think about these two issues slightly

separately.

Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act

2006 which came into force in 2008, it is the employer’s

responsibility to check the entitlement to work in the UK

of all prospective employees, and if you find yourself

employing an illegal migrant worker as a result of

negligence, you could be liable for a fine of up to £10,000

per worker. If you do it deliberately you’re looking at an

unlimited fine or up to two years in prison.

To comply with this, and to avoid charges of

discrimination on the grounds of race and nationality,

you need to ask all people to whom you make job offers

to bring in their passport, biometric residence permit or

other suitable evidence of their right to work in the UK

and check the document very carefully and take a copy.

There is a very helpful interactive tool on the Business link

website - businesslink.gov.uk – which takes you through

all the different documents that are valid as evidence

and how to check them.

There is also very clear visual guidance on the Prado

website - consilium.europa.eu/prado - about what to

look for on a passports from any European countries to

check if it’s genuine or not. It really works – we recently

had a Night Worker candidate who brought in a false

Dutch passport arrested on our premises; I raise this by

way of illustrating that the risks are very real in our sector.

Given the ferocity of the penalties, it is essential to spend

the time learning what to look for and running a close

check on every occasion rather than just giving a cursory

glance to documents and taking them at face value.

Since february 2008 a points-based system has been in

place to assess people wanting to come to work in the

UK. If you want to employ someone who does not have

that right, you have to be licensed by the home Office

to be a sponsor, thus enabling you to issue a Certificate

of Sponsorship to a named individual, who must then

apply for permission to enter the UK. Not very easy, by all

accounts.

for everything you need to know about employing

people from overseas, the UK Border Agency website –

ubka.homeoffice.gov.uk - is very comprehensive.

Helen Giles is HR Director of Broadway and Managing Director of Broadway’s Real People HR consultancy www.broadwaysrealpeople.com

Dear Helen,I know that there are heavy financial penalties for employers who take on people who don’t have the right to work here, but I’m not sure if we are doing enough to check new people. I’m further confused by the ‘points-based system’ for employing migrant workers.

Helen Giles, Managing Director of Broadway’s Real People HR Consultancy, now has a regular column in Connect aimed at helping you to make the most of your most important resource – your staff teams. This edition focuses on good practice around employing people from overseas.



cenSUS 2011: MakInG SUre hoMeleSS people coUntA rich source of statistics, the census affects all of us in one way or another, as decisions about the communities we live in take place all the time, often using census data. Counting homeless people and rough sleepers is an integral part of building an in-depth, population map. Margaret Barrett, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), describes the special measures that have been developed to ensure homeless people and rough sleepers can participate in the census.

held every ten years the census estimates the population

of England and Wales, providing a snapshot of society

on one specific day. Everyone is legally obliged to be

included on a census questionnaire. The 2011 Census

takes place on 27 March 2011.

let’s not beat around the bush, this is a massively

complex task. It’s not easy to count those who sleep

rough or those of no fixed abode who often move from

place to place. Still, it is important that we count as many

people as we can. In 2001 census collectors walked

the streets on census night talking to the homeless and

trying to count as many people as possible. But, following

in-depth research, we’ve decided to amend this way

of working for 2011. As well as counting people living

in hostels for homeless people, this time the census will

count rough sleepers in day centre services.

Census staff dedicated to counting homeless people

will need the co-operation of hostels and day centres

and will give practical assistance to homeless people

with questionnaire completion. Although precise

arrangements will vary in different areas according to

local needs, in general the following will take place:

HOSTELSIn March 2011, special enumerators will arrange delivery

to hostels of a pack of questionnaires for their residents,

plus one A4 sheet for the manager to complete about

the hostel. Special enumerators can be contacted by

hostel managers to

answer queries and

assist as necessary

if any problems are

anticipated. Special enumerators will call round to collect

completed questionnaires after census day.

DAY CENTRESCensus coordinators will be employed from 7 february

2011 to manage field work and they should contact day

centre managers during the following weeks. They will

explain the census and agree arrangements for the local

enumeration at each day centre. Special enumerators

will be guided by local expertise and deliver the

questionnaires and offer assistance as previously agreed.

They will work with day centre staff to achieve a positive

response rate.

We’re doing everything we can to make sure homeless

people have ample opportunity to fill-in their

questionnaires in familiar surroundings with plenty of

help at hand. Taking about 10 minutes to complete, the

questionnaire includes information about where people

are living, health, education and past employment. ONS

is an independent body. We do not share any personal

information with any government departments. Personal

information will be kept confidential and is safeguarded

by law.

For further information visit: www.2011.census.gov.uk



Most UK stakeholders welcome the development of a

housing first approach in the UK, believing that it would

valuably complement existing provision, especially for the

most ‘service resistant’ rough sleepers. Some doubt that

the scale of positive outcomes reported in the US would

be reproduced here, or the cost savings as extreme, but a

willingness to trial housing first and other models offering

different accommodation types and levels of user choice

and conditionality clearly exists.

The study also highlighted the potential for integrating

elements of housing first into existing provision, such as

tailoring multidisciplinary support to individual needs and

relaxing time limits on service eligibility (most notably the

Supporting People two-year limit on stays in temporary

accommodation). There was widespread consensus that

the 2012 target to end rough sleeping represents a key

window of opportunity for innovation in the development

of effective solutions for this highly vulnerable group.

The report, ‘Staircases, Elevators and Cycles of Change: ‘Housing First’ and Other Housing Models for Homeless People with Complex Support Needs’, can

be downloaded for free from the Crisis website: http://bit.ly/f914ff. The study was funded by the Economic

and Social Research Council, and involved a review of

literature and interviews with key stakeholders in the UK,

US, and Australia.

‘hoUSInG fIrSt’: challenGInG the StatUS QUo?Sarah Johnsen, Senior Research Fellow at Heriot-watt University, and Ligia Teixeira, Research and Evaluation Manager at Crisis, share key lessons from an international review of Housing First and other housing models for homeless people with complex support needs.

The ‘housing first’ model departs from orthodox

responses to homelessness because it bypasses hostels

and places rough sleepers with complex needs (such

as moderate-to-severe mental health and/or substance

misuse problems) directly into permanent independent

accommodation with tailored support, without insisting

that they engage in treatment. It was developed

in the United States, but is rapidly being replicated

internationally, particularly in Europe and Australia. The

excellent housing retention outcomes reported in the

US seriously challenge the ‘treatment first’ philosophy,

dominant in most developed countries, which presumes

that time spent in transitional supported accommodation

is necessary to ensure homeless people are ‘housing

ready’ before independent tenancies are allocated.

The review conducted by the University of York and Crisis

revealed that some recent service developments in

the UK exhibit elements of ‘housing first-ness’, but that

these are outnumbered by specialist transitional housing

schemes for this client group. ‘linear’ models which aim

to progress homeless people through separate residential

services continue to predominate in the UK. They are,

however, implemented more flexibly here than in many

other countries, where they have been criticised for

high attrition rates and for failing to take account of the

‘haphazardness’ (non-linearity and unpredictability) of

recovery from addiction and mental health problems.

Staircases, Elevators and Cycles of Change‘Housing First’ and Other Housing Models for Homeless People with Complex Support NeedsSarah Johnsen & Lígia Teixeira

eDItor’S coMMent In times of hardship and uncertainty we need to

be creative in thinking of ways to support those

without recourse to public funds. Share your

thoughts on how the housing first model could

be adapted for Central and Eastern Europeans

and other migrants:

[email protected]



INSPIRED

Into the DraGonS Den anD oUt wIth the MIchael whIppMan awarD 2010The Sandwich People was set up in February 2008 to provide an opportunity for homeless men and women to gain work skills and confidence in a safe but real work environment. Run by homeless volunteers the social enterprise started by delivering sandwiches to small companies close to The Salvation Army Booth House lifehouse in central Swindon.

We focussed on providing quality, reliability and value for

money. Over time we gained support from our customers

and by working with local colleges we are now able

to offer a wide range of recognised qualifications to

our volunteers. Through the local probation service we

have introduced community payback hours within the

enterprise and also gained a 5 star assessment from the

local environmental health department.

The Sandwich People is a real community business and

more than 150 volunteers have been involved since its

start. Twenty have moved on to paid employment with

many more gaining confidence and self esteem and

moving onto independent living.

The whole team was excited about entering the Michael

Whippman Award and got involved in completing the

application form and planning how to spend the prize

money! On selection for the shortlist, panic set in – who

would be brave enough to enter the dragons den? Dan

was selected and in his words:

“I was quite nervous when I was asked to talk to over

150 people, but I really wanted to meet the challenge

and not let myself or the team down. Before I started

with the Sandwich People, I had no confidence, no self

esteem, no qualifications or work experience. Now I

help with supervising the team each morning, making

sandwiches, prepping salads, stock control, cashing

up the till, cleaning and selling sandwiches to local

businesses. I have certificates and qualifications in health

& Safety, food hygiene, Customer Service NVQ2, Sales,

first Aid, Goals Training and Money Management. I am

more confident in my abilities and I know that I can tackle

challenges. We all have a laugh, working well as a team

together no matter what is thrown at us.

“When we found out we had won the award I shouted,

‘YES!’ I had conquered my fears and it was the first time I

had won anything. I felt like I was on cloud nine! The team

were really excited and we decided to spend the money

on the most important part of the business - the team! A

couple of volunteers were given responsibility to find out

where people would like to go for a team building trip.

On 6th September we all set off for Thorpe Park to

spend the prize money. Not all of us were brave

enough to tackle Stealth or Colossus, but those who did

commented: “I got over my fear of heights with the help

of the team - it was great” and “0-80mph in 2.3 seconds,

who can beat that!” and “It’s great - just

like being on holiday. I wish we could stay

longer” and “10 out of 10.”

Visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/sandwichpeople for more information.



also exploring new opportunities that these changes will create. We need to harness our knowledge, passion and resilience, that we have shown so often in tackling homelessness, to face the challenges ahead and improve the long-term prospects for our clients. This is your opportunity to help shape the sector for years to come. www.homeless.org.uk/surviving-the-cuts

OUTCOMES STAR One day course for keyworkers who are using the Outcomes Star aiming to enable participants to fully understand the system and implement it effectively in their work. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-outcomes-star

MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEwINGTwo day course that explores the underlying techniques and practices of motivational interviewing and its relevance and applicability within a housing and workplace context. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-interviews

qAF One day course to give participants an opportunity to understand the changes contained in the redrafted Quality Assessment framework (QAf) and the chance to map their main areas of practice against the new framework. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-qaf

what’S on?UPCOMING TRAINING AND EVENTS FOR THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR:

BOOKING DETAIlS

JANUARYEFFECTIVE kEYwORkING AND THE OUTCOMES STARTwo day course which will enable participants to explore and understand the skills involved in keyworking, the boundaries of the work, and how to use and implement the Outcomes Star system in their organisation. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-keyworking-outcomes-star

PROVE IT - MANAGING wRITTEN INFORMATIONOne day course to equip participants with confidence and skills to keep fair and accurate records, respect confidentiality, comply with the Data Protection Act and the Supporting People and other social care standards. http://www.homeless.org.uk/report-writing

FINANCIAL INCLUSION This course will give participants a detailed understanding of financial exclusion and the link to tenancy failure. This understanding will improve the standard of support offered and contribute to successful move-on and resettlement. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-financial-inclusion

MANAGING CONFLICT One day course that provides practical advice and techniques for front line workers who face verbal abuse, threats and aggression from service users.

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To book a place on any of the training courses or conferences featured here please call: 020 7960 3030 or email us at: [email protected]

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fEBRUARYUNDERSTANDING TBA half-day workshop to raise awareness of tuberculosis (TB) among workers who come into contact with client groups who may be at a higher risk of developing active TB disease. http://www.homeless.org.uk/understand%20TB

GETTING HOMELESS PEOPLE INTO EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENTThis course explores the unique needs of homeless clients wanting to access education, training and employment. Aimed at staff who recognise the value of education, employment and training to the physical, mental, emotional and financial well being of their clients. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-ete

MOVING INTO MANAGEMENT This training course will help emergent and new managers gain confidence and the skills to fulfil the role of manager. It will focus on the organisational and people’s skills you need to supervise and motivate your team.

8 SURVIVING THE CUTSThis conference will look at the impact of the Spending Review and how the cuts will affect our sector. It will share practical ways to safeguard your service and deliver the required efficiencies, whilst...

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MARChwORkING wITH CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN CLIENTSOne day course providing an overview of the law regarding Central and Eastern European citizens and a look at the challenges faced in meeting their needs. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-central-and-eastern-europeans

PERSONALISATION One day course which seeks to give staff in homelessness organisations an introduction to the personalisation agenda and the opportunity to consider personalisation as an organisational ethos and approach. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-personalisation

HOUSING BENEFITSOne day course focusing on the most problematic areas for housing professionals.

DAY CENTRESOne day course which aims to support managers in considering how their day centre has changed in recent years and how it can become more a place of acceptance, empowerment and change. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-day-centres

COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY Two day course which aims to give participants an understanding of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and the skills required to use it effectively. http://www.homeless.org.uk/training-cbt

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we’ve pulled together a list of resources and research for organisations working with migrants and Central and Eastern Europeans. If you have any information you would like to share with our member organisations, please contact us.

reSoUrceS

hoMeleSS lInk InforMatIon Visit our Central and Eastern European pages for

a range of practical ‘how-to’ guides range of

issues and solutions, including accommodation,

entitlements, reconnection, employment, training

advice and support, and health services.

www.homeless.org.uk/central-eastern-europeans

Information on entitlements for other migrants with

no recourse to public funds.

www.homeless.org.uk/migrants-nrpf

homeless UK - the leading source of information

about advice, support, hostels and supported

accommodation for homeless people and those at

risk of homelessness.

www.homelessuk.org

homeless Pages – find the latest publications and

research on migrant homelessness.

www.homelesspages.org.uk

MIGrant rIGhtS on aDMInIStratIVe reMoVal

fact Sheet prepared by a consortium of

organisations and lawyers working in the field with

advice on working with EU migrants and detailing

why Migrants Rights think the pilot scheme is

unlawful. http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/publications/briefing-papers/factsheet-and-faq-expulsion-homeless-eea-nationals

thaMeS reach: roUteS hoMe A practical guide for outreach staff and other

professionals involved in reconnecting Central and

Eastern European (CEE) nationals who are rough

sleeping back to their home country. It aims to

increase options for reconnections and to support

staff to make appropriate referrals to services in the

UK and CEE countries.

http://www.thamesreach.org.uk/what-we-do/routes-home/about-routes-home/

hoUSInG rIGhtS weBSIte froM chartereD InStItUte of hoUSInG The housing Rights website aims to provide

accurate information to recent arrivals and to

advisers about entitlements to housing, based on

people’s immigration status.

www.housing-rights.info

BrItISh reD croSS aDVocacY report - not Gone, BUt forGotten

Report highlighting the dire hardships facing

destitute asylum seekers and the urgent need for a

more humane asylum system.

http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/News/2010/June/New-report-calls-for-end-to-asylum-seekers-destitution

www.hoMeleSS.orG.Uk

connect 41: migration - the wrong sort of homelessness

Documents