EDGES MAGAZINE Issue 46

December 2006


Hundreds of immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria could end up sleeping rough in central London when the former Communist states join the EU early next year,Westminster council has warned. And services for the homeless might not be able to cope with the massive influx, said the local authority.

Recently London has seen a marked rise in the number of rough sleepers from Eastern European countries such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland, and dozens can now be seen camping out in the Royal Parks and in shop doorways every evening. Westminster City Council said an average of 40 Eastern Europeans sleep rough in the borough every night, and more are arriving all the time.

They are among hundreds of thousands of economic migrants from new EU countries who have flooded to Britain, lured by the prospect of well-paid jobs, since borders were opened to them in May 2004. But some arrive with no money and then struggle to find work, leaving them no choice but to doss in places such as top tourist spot St James's Park, overlooked by Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.

Earlier this month saw the tragic case of a Polish economist who came to England hoping to find a good job and create a better life for his family in his homeland. Unable to find a job he slept rough and eventually hanged himself with just 26p in his pocket. Westminster Council warned the problem could get worse when Romania and Bulgaria, both very poor countries compared with Britain, become full members of the EU and their citizens are given the right to live and work here. It also said it might not be able to cope with the influx of homeless EU immigrants when its government funding runs out in November.

Spokesman Nick Dines said: "We do street counts in Westminster and we have noticed a rise in the number of people living rough. The rise is predominantly down to 'A8 nationals' - people who have arrived from accession countries. "Westminster has obvious attractions for incomers but we also have Victoria Coach Station. For a lot of people who come to the UK the coach station is their first port of call, and if they don't have somewhere to stay they sleep rough."It's a very transient population. A lot tend to be here for a week or two before moving on, but a few are here for much longer.

"We are certainly not against Eastern Europeans coming here to work. Quite the opposite. If you look around the building sites, they're building London.

"The problem is when people come here with no money and with not much English, thinking it's easy to get a job. It's a reality of life that if you haven't got a trade and you don't speak the language it's very hard to find work. It would be the same for me if I went to Poland.We have also noticed a lot of people come to do agricultural work like picking fruit, which is seasonal, and when that ends they are stuck. Obviously, people coming from the new accession countries could face the same problems and end up in the same situation.We could well see a further increase in rough sleepers when these countries join."

He added thatWestminster was awarded a special government grant last year to help it deal with the new problem of homeless Eastern Europeans. It has paid for help services including an interpreter, plus four Police Community Support Officers. It also provided money to help people return to their countries of origin if they want to leave but cannot afford a ticket.

But the grant runs out in November and has not been renewed, meaning services would struggle to cope, the council warned. Mr Dines said: "Immigration policy is set nationally. An unfortunate and unintended consequence of the national policy is that a small number of immigrants will end up homeless.We want to help people sleeping rough and this has an impact on our services.We think the government should assist."

Homeless charity St Mungo's said: "In our experience the number of Eastern European people looking for work and a place to live in the UK has led to a number of them sleeping rough in London. There has been an increase since new countries joined the EU.Whilst most of these people only sleep on the streets for a relatively short period as they seek work and a place to live, some have additional vulnerabilities."

The problems facing economic migrants in London were highlighted last month by the case of a Polish economist who hanged himself in a cemetery after failing to find a job in Britain.

An inquest heard that family man Karol Gryc, 43, had left his wife and two sons behind in Warsaw, lured by the promise of a good job and money in the UK. But he ended up sleeping rough before being found hanging from a tree with just 26p in his pocket.

Westminster deputy coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe called the case "very, very sad" after the court heard how Mr Gryc had despaired at his new lonely life in London and ended up taking his own life two months after arriving."He gave up on life because he hadn't been able to find a job", she said.

His body was found at the foot of a tree in Brompton Cemetery, south west London, by a member of the public.Mr Gryc had in his possession two passports, print outs from job websites, two pictures of his wife and eldest son, two keys, 26p, one euro cent and a watch.

However, there was no suicide note and Dr Radcliffe recorded an open verdict, saying that she could not be certain he had intended to kill himself


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