Homelessness amongst migrants – a European overview Existing in Limbo - 16 th November 2012

Structure of the presentation The extent of homelessness amongst migrants Reasons for which migrants are vulnerable to homelessness and housing exclusion Conclusions

The extent of homelessness amongst migrants UK Department of Communities and Local Government 's latest rough sleeping figures (2011)

The extent of homelessness amongst migrants Italian census on homelessness – ISTAT, fioPsd, Caritas Italia (2012) : 59.4% of people in homeless shelters in Italy are immigrants, in particular Romanians (11.5%), Moroccans (9.1%) and Tunisians (5.7%) Migrants are homeless for less time than Italians Migrant homeless are more qualified than Italian homeless

The extent of homelessness amongst migrants In Dublin nearly 16% in homeless services, of which more than 50% from EU countries - mostly from UK, Poland and Romania (Counted in survey) In Paris: 40% of homeless clients are young people from Eastern Europe. In 2010, approximately 63% of all those registered with homeless services in Spain were immigrants In Finland in 2010 over 13 % of single homeless and 40 % of homeless families were immigrants

The extent of homelessness amongst migrants EU migrants are amongst the most affected and, although the main trend concerns people moving from Central and Eastern European countries to Western Europe, recent reports in the press refer to homeless people in North- Western EU countries who have left Southern EU countries, in particular Greece, Spain and Portugal. According to a FEANTSA survey conducted in 2012, homeless services from 12 EU Member States report a growing proportion of immigrants among homeless service users

Reasons for which migrants are vulnerable to homelessness and housing exclusion Labour market problems and malfunctions : Discrimination in the access to the labour market Lack of regular and secure employment Unfair working conditions – exploitation Trafficking – fake promises of job Less likelihood to access training and obtain career advancement Undeclared work

Reasons for which migrants are vulnerable to homelessness and housing exclusion Inadequate migration policies and implementation of existing legislation: National authorities fail in providing adequate reception conditions to asylum seekers Challenges for refugees in the access to social assistance 'Creation' of irregularity among migrants (overstayers) Family reunification rules might entail homelessness among migrant women whose right to reside depends on sustaining a relationship with a violent partner

Conclusions The issue of migration requires more attention when policy responses to homelessness are being developed Questions to be raised: How do we ensure access to emergency support, regardless of the legal status of migrants concerned? How to tackle discrimination in the housing and labour markets? What is the role of the homeless sector in dealing with migrants and failures of migration policies? How to guarantee fair working conditions? How to ensure access to justice for all migrants? How to address undeclared work in a social way and not through repressive measures?

FEANTSA Migration Working Group: Alice Evans (UK) Bo Jochimsen (Denmark) André Gachet (France) Sonia Olea Ferreras (Spain) Wayne Stanley (Ireland) Mauro Striano