Housing Solicitors

New figures on homelessness in the UK have revealed that more than 25% of those sleeping rough in London come from Eastern European countries.

Case work statistics from the Combined Homelessness and Information Network (Chain) show that rough sleepers in London are most likely to be from Poland, with Poles comprising one in 10 rough sleepers in the capital.

The next largest ethnic group of rough sleepers were Romanians (8%) and Lithuanians (3%).

The southeast of the country and the East Midlands were found to have the highest proportion of rough sleepers – and housing campaigners attribute this to these areas being the most seriously affected by the government’s cap on housing benefit and high housing costs, as well as government cuts to local services.

The report also found that 15% of those sleeping rough in England originate from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

In London, more than 50% of all rough sleepers came from overseas. Those who are unemployed and do not have sufficient means to support themselves can be deported. However, in central London groups of homeless Romanians and other nationalities have set up camps in London parks and are also sleeping rough in doorways in high-value property areas such as Mayfair and Park Lane.

Efforts to remove some groups of Roma back to their country of origin have resulted in them returning weeks later. A BBC report found that many Roma would rather sleep rough in London than return to their home countries and face poverty and persecution there.

A homeless charity trying to address the issue of homelessness among Eastern Europeans has produced a DVD guide in Polish to warn unemployed Poles without substantial funds about the risk of coming to the UK without a job, the Mail reports.

Since 1 January, citizens of Romania and Bulgaria have had the right to come to the UK to work – but not to claim out-of-work benefits for the first three months of their stay.

The government has recently mooted introducing a minimum threshold income of £150 for a 24-hour working week before new migrants can claim out-of-work benefits – the equivalent of the minimum wage at which a UK worker would pay National Insurance contributions.

The report estimates that, although since 2013 there has been a 3% fall in the number of those sleeping rough in London, in the southeast – but excluding the capital – the number of rough sleepers has increased by 20%.

In the East Midlands, there has been a 50% increase in rough sleepers – including a 96% increase in Derby and 80% increase in Nottingham.

The chief executive of homeless charity, Crisis, Leslie Morphy, said:

“The government must take real steps to address the chronic lack of housing – and urgently consider the impact its cuts are having to housing benefit and local homelessness.”

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

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