Presentation given by Suzanne Fitzpatrick, UK, at a FEANTSA Research Conference on "Migration, Homelessness and Demographic Change in Europe", Pisa, Italy, 2011

1. Homeless Migrants’ Needs: The
Risks of Destitution
Presentation to European Research
Conference, Suzanne Fitzpatrick,
16th September 2011

2. Destitute migrants in EU
 EC study to examine the interaction between
welfare regimes and housing systems in:
Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal,
Sweden and the UK
1. What is the impact of the welfare regime +
housing system on the nature and causes of
homelessness?
2. How effective are responses to homelessness,
and what might Member States learn from each
other?

3. Vignette on ‘single male
migrant who loses casual
work and has rent arrears ’
 Varies between countries: major issue in UK, Netherlands and
Germany; less so in Sweden; declining issue in Portugal; not at
all in Hungary
 Legal status all important: CEE homeless migrants key concern
- have little welfare protection, especially in Netherlands and
UK; in Germany access to homeless accommodation (with
residence permit); in Sweden access to social assistance (with
residence permit)
 Economic downturn has hit vulnerable migrants very hard; on
margins of both labour market (informal economy) and housing
markets (tenuous forms of accommodation)

4. Policy implications of EU
study
 CEE migrants a growing concern, but also refused
asylum seekers and undocumented migrants
 Stark choice: ‘Get work or go home’; back to work
and reconnection schemes
 Reliance on charities/churches
 Complex legal and policy arrangements – some
countries/cities seem to cope better than others
 Priority should be given to preventing destitution
amongst vulnerable migrants; Consensus
Conference; new EC study on ‘Mobility, Migration
and Destitution’

5. Multiple exclusion
homelessness in the UK
 Statistically representative survey of users of ‘low
threshold’ homelessness, drugs and other
services in seven cities across UK
 1,286 survey responses from all users of these
services
 452 extended interviews with service users who
had experienced MEH: ‘homelessness’ + at least
one of ‘institutional care’, ‘substance misuse’ or
'street culture activities’

6. Migrants in the MEH
population
 17% of all MEH interviewees migrated to the UK
as an adult; 41% of interviewees in Westminster
(London)
 Specific migrant groups:
 Central and Eastern European (CCE): 7%
 Former asylum seekers (refugee status or leave
to remain) – 3%
 Current asylum seekers – 1%
 Undocumented migrants – 4%

7. A profile of migrants in the
MEH population
 On average, they migrated to the UK aged 30
 One fifth were UK citizens by point of
interview
 78% were male (similar to non-migrants)
 Younger than non-migrants on average (90%
were under 50)
 Tended to have left school later and to have
more qualifications than non-migrants

8. Current accommodation
Accommodation Non-migrant Migrant
1. Hostel etc. 45% 26%
2. Permanent 21% 16%
housing
3. Temporary flat 14% 8%
4. Sleeping rough 8% 33%
5. Family or friends 7% 10%
6. Squat 2% 6%
7. Other 3% 2%

9. Sources of income in past
month
Source of income Non-migrants Migrants
1. UK benefits 93% 43%
2. Paid work 5% 18%
3. Friends or relatives 11% 20%
4. Charity/church 1% 8%
5. Big Issue 4% 18%
6. Begging 5% 6%
7. Illegal activities 8% 0%
8. None 2% 16%

10. MEH-relevant experiences
Experience Non-migrants Migrants
1. Rough sleeping 75% 88%
2. Hostels etc. 88% 66%
3. Prison 52% 14%
4. Admitted to 32% 16%
hospital with a
mental health issue
5. Used hard drugs 46% 35%
6. Alcohol problems 68% 37%
7. Street drinking 59% 26%
8. Begging 33% 26%
9. Attempted suicide 41% 20%

11. Childhood experiences
Experience Non-migrants Migrants
1. Truanted 54% 29%
2. Ran away 38% 16%
3. Violence between 29% 16%
parents
4. Parents had 26% 14%
drug/alcohol problem
5. Sexually abused 24% 19%
6. Physically abused 23% 16%
7. In care 18% 8%

12. Conclusions
 Homeless and destitute migrants a
growing concern across a range of
western European cities
 In UK at least, migrants have a very
different profile from rest of MEH
population, and require bespoke
responses