REPORT ON EAST EUROPEAN HOMELESS PEOPLE IN LONDON (ABBREVIATED VERSION)

The original report was written by Ela Morris, a Polish social worker and volunteer with the East European Advice Centre, and was the result of a research project carried out between October and November 2004. The project consisted of an assessment carried out with thirty homeless or potentially homeless people from East Europe, interviewed face-to-face around the areas of Victoria and Hammersmith. Victoria Coach Station and Green Line are points of arrival for many new members of the EU, while Hammersmith, with its large Polish population, is where they look for work.

The project divided into two parts:

• an investigation of factors contributing to the homelessness of East Europeans and of their support needs
and
• interviews with staff in agencies involved in the various stages of helping homeless people

Thirty East European homeless people were chosen at random - 28 were Poles and two Czechs. 28 of them were men and only two women, indicating that the vast number of East European homeless people in London are men. The majority (12) of them were between 36 and 45 years of age, 8 between 16 and 25, 5 between 26 and 35, 2 between 46 and 55 and 3 over 55.
28 were in possession of at least one legal document. Most often it was a passport, Polish driving licence or Polish ID. 10 were in possession of a CIS card.
5 people came to Britain quite recently - between 1 and 5 weeks ago, 5 came between 8 weeks and 5 months ago; a majority (11) came came soon after or a few months before the 1st May 2004. Others had been in England for between one and five years.
In 80% of cases, the reason for coming to England was purely economic, with others coming for a variety of personal reasons.
People described their situation in Poland with reference to employment, housing and family life. There were students who broke off their studies, young people who couldn’t find work after finishing their education, unemployed people, some of whom had lost their jobs in mass lay-offs and bankrupts. Two were coal miners who retired early. All had difficulties in finding employment. Periods of employment ranged from one day through a few weeks to five years in one exceptional case.
To the question: “What is preventing you from finding work in the UK?” four answers were given:

1. Poor knowledge of the English language
2. Being taken advantage of by the employer
3. Not being punctual to work
4. Poor health - in two cases.

All the thirty attributed their homelessness to loss or lack of work. Among those who arrived in the UK after 1st May, there are people who never rented a place to live. 7 people stay in squats, 2 men sleep in a car with a friend. East European homeless people sleep at the Victoria Stations, along Buckingham Palace Road, Vauxhall Bridge Road; other places include Westminster Cathedral Plaza, around Trafalgar Square, at Hammersmith bus garage and Heathrow.
28 people do not have anyone to support or help them in the UK. Expected sources of help and support included English and Polish people here, relatives, homelessness centres and the UK government; there was some bitterness about the lack of help.
10 of the interviewees had health problems. Centres for the homeless expressed worries about the increasingly deteriorating health of older Polish homeless people. 17 respondents had experienced periods of depression or feeling low. Among the Poles, drinking (rather than drugs) is becoming a serious problem; 13 had alcohol problems. Agencies supporting homeless people notice that Poles drink more than other East European clients.
Three respondents had been involved in a violent incident, harassment or assault. Two thirds had been a victim of crime and abuse (including robbery, deception, physical injury resulting from attack, rape or slavery). Half had been taken advantage of by their employers by not being paid a fair wage, being paid late and often not the agreed sum, not being paid at all, having to do work not agreed before, being sacked for no specific reason.
Their practical knowledge of how they might help themselves to survive in the UK is quite limited. They might know one or two centres where they get cheap or free food, a shower and spare clothes, but if these resources come to an end they feel helpless. They very often do not know where to look for medical help apart from hospitals. They usually know how to register with a Jobcentre and help each other in applying for a CIS card or N.I. Number. They do not have problems with English homeless people, but there is some friction between Poles and Russians.

AGENCIES

The following agencies were contacted:
• The Passage at Victoria
• The Salvation Army at Rochester Row, Victoria
• The Broadway Centre at Shepherds Bush
• The Connection at St Martin’s in Charing Cross
• The Barons Court Project in West Kensington
• Polish AA groups
Because the East European homeless are not entitled to benefits, the centres cannot help them with finding accommodation. Most use the primary services of showers, clothing and cheap or free food. An increasing number are using educational and training facilities, a sign of the problem of finding work. The Passage started a group helping in obtaining N.I. numbers; they think this will attract new clients and help others to move on. Some of these centres have specialist services such as nurse, doctor, optician, podiatrist, drug and alcohol services, mental health services or one-to-one with clients, but East European use is sporadic due to the language barrier. There are centres that offer classes; centres also offer space, hire tools and work and interview clothes; most provide c/o postal addresses. People attending Polish AA groups do not admit to being homeless. A lot of their clients already had an alcohol problem in Poland.

The following suggestions arose from discussions with the agencies and clients:

Develop a strategy around the two areas of the prevention of homelessness and the provision of support
• Provide more information about services available to the homeless in the form of leaflets translated into a few East European languages
• Advocacy and advice services need to be more accessible for East European people
• A publication that fully informs people about the situation of East European homeless people before coming to London
• Develop links and partnerships with agencies helping East European homeless people and the City Council
• Supply these agencies with quality volunteers
• If possible, supply these agencies with a paid worker having experience with homeless people who will develop the partnerships
• Co-operation with an honest and ethical job agency
• Develop links with Jobcentre Plus
• Provide tailored ESOL classes
• Monitor the situation of East European Homeless people

Thanks to the above-mentioned organisations for their information and help.