Emigration to the UK in 2012

Emigration to the UK in 2012

New Irish emigrants accessing homeless and

welfare services

Research Project

Introduction

Crosscare Migrant Project is an Irish non-government information, advocacy and referral organisation. We are supported by the Emigrant Support Programme of the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade to provide a service to Irish emigrants, particularly those in vulnerable situations.

There has been a significant increase in the emigration of Irish nationals since 2009. The Central Statistics Office has estimated that 18,400 Irish nationals emigrated from Ireland in the twelve months up to April 2009. In the following twelve month period, this figure had

increased by more than 50% to 27,700 Irish nationals emigrating. When the most recent figures were released in September 2011, they showed an even more significant increase to 40,200 Irish nationals who left Ireland in the twelve months to April 2011. Of these Irish emigrants, it is estimated that approximately one third have emigrated to the UK.

Crosscare previously commissioned a piece of research in 2005 entitled ‘Still Leaving: Recent, vulnerable Irish emigrants to the UK: profile, experiences & pre-departure solutions.’ The brief for that piece of research focused on:

‘compiling quantitative data on the numbers of and characteristics of recent, vulnerable Irish emigrants to the UK; on the provision of qualitative data on

contributing factors in decisions to emigrate to the UK; data on experiences of recent, vulnerable emigrants to the UK, including problems encountered when accessing services; and to identify how Emigrant Advice [our project’s previous name] might better identify and access potential vulnerable emigrants prior to leaving Ireland and work more effectively with UK agencies to improve the lot of recent, vulnerable Irish emigrants.’

In this context, we decided it was an opportune time to carry out an updated piece of research on new Irish emigration to the UK. Given our stated aim to prioritise working with people in vulnerable situations, we focused the research particularly on ‘crisis emigration’, looking at Irish emigrants recently arrived in the UK in vulnerable situations such as homelessness, addiction, domestic violence or unemployment.

The primary aim of this piece of research was to gather information on the profile of people who have left Ireland and found themselves in vulnerable situations in the UK, and to identify the issues they faced upon arrival in the UK.

The information gathered and documented in this research will improve the service Crosscare Migrant Project provides to intending emigrants to the UK by enabling us to provide up to date and relevant practical information to them based on experience and knowledge of the issues and challenges they may face upon arrival in the UK.

A secondary purpose of the research was to establish and develop links and contacts with relevant organisations and/or individuals that can be maintained by Crosscare Migrant Project beyond the period of the research in order for us to be linked in and continually aware of the issues and challenges facing newly arrived Irish emigrants in the UK.

Methodology

The research undertaken for this report was mainly of a qualitative nature. Some quantitative data was obtained from the Central Statistics Office Ireland, the Department of Work and Pensions in the UK, and the CHAIN database of Broadway London, a homeless charity. There is a difficulty in obtaining accurate and up to date statistics as entries and exits to and from Ireland and the UK are not recorded, and the nature of travel between the UK and Ireland is so fluid.

The aim of the research was to gather and document current information on the profile, issues and experiences of recent Irish emigrants to the UK in vulnerable circumstances. To do this, we followed a number of routes.

An online survey was developed through Survey Monkey and circulated to forty five different organisations across the UK which had been identified through preliminary online research. The majority of these were Irish support organisations; however some were general homeless services without a particular Irish focus. A list of the organisations the survey was sent to is contained in Appendix A. A copy of the survey is contained in Appendix B.

The organisations were asked to complete a short online survey containing questions relating to the profile and experiences of recent Irish arrivals that had accessed their services. The specific aim of the survey was to gather more information on the current situation as experienced by organisations in the UK that are working with new Irish arrivals in vulnerable situations such as homelessness, addiction, domestic or other violence or unemployment.

Organisations that did not respond to the survey initially were sent a reminder email, and we also publicised the survey through the Federation of Irish Societies’ website and newsletter and through the Irish Post website. We received a 40% response rate to the survey.

Based on the survey responses received, where relevant, follow up phone calls were made and emails sent to any organisations that could provide more information. Some key contacts and common themes emerged from this part of the research.

Following this, a short three day trip to London was made to conduct face-to-face interviews with a number of organisations, selected based on the feedback they had provided in the survey and follow up contact. Due to time and resource constraints, this part of the research focused on London-based organisations only.

Representatives from the following ten organisations were met with and provided us with more detailed information on the types of clients and presenting issues they have seen in the last twelve months:

• Acton Homeless Concern • Embassy of Ireland, London • Homeless Link

• Innisfree Housing Association

• Irish Community Services Greenwich, Bexley & Lewisham • Irish Support & Advice Hammersmith

• London Irish Centre • New Horizon Youth Centre • Solace Women’s Aid • The Passage Centre

In order to get further insight into individuals’ circumstances, a number of these organisations were asked to assist us in gathering case studies or conducting interviews on our behalf with clients of theirs who had recently arrived in the UK, and who are or were in vulnerable situations. A number of organisations expressed the view that this cohort of client was particularly vulnerable, and so they did not feel comfortable requesting an interview when the client had other more urgent and important issues to deal with in their lives at that time.

The ‘Findings’ section below collates the information received in the surveys, through phone calls and emails, and in the face-to-face visits.

Findings

All but one of the sixteen organisations that responded to the online survey indicated that they have seen new Irish arrivals presenting to their service in the last twelve months. Half of these organisations stated that they have noticed an increase in new arrivals accessing their services in comparison with previous years; however none of the organisations reported an

overwhelming increase in new arrivals.

Profile of new arrivals

While two organisations said that they are seeing an increase in both males and females presenting to their services, young single males were identified as by far the predominant group arriving in the UK and accessing services. Other characteristics were not so identifiably consistent and varied depending on the geographical area and the organisation responding.

The most common age range for new arrivals presenting to the organisations’ services was 18-30; however a small number of organisations specifically noted an increase in males in the 40-50 age range. They suggested that the people in this age range may have lived in the UK previously when they were younger, and have become unemployed in Ireland and returned to the UK in search of work.

All organisations reported seeing some people who had previous experience of living in the UK, and some people for whom it was their first time in the UK. It was reported that people found it more difficult to access services when it was their first time in the UK. This is

explained in more detail under the ‘Problems encountered’ section below. Single males with a history of street homelessness and/or alcohol abuse or addiction issues were also specifically mentioned by six of the organisations as a distinct client group.

Paul

Paul moved to the UK for the first time aged 21. He hoped to make a fresh start and get away from the drug scene he had been involved in in Ireland. When he arrived in London, he presented to a local Irish support service that helped him to apply for a National Insurance Number and make a claim for benefits. As Paul had never lived in the UK before, this process took approximately five weeks, and during this time Paul’s only option was to stay in a hostel run by a charity on a night to night basis where he had to leave the hostel each day and try to get a bed again the following night. The Irish support service is now trying to help Paul to get into supported accommodation.

Presenting issues and support needs

We asked the organisations what issues people were presenting to their services with. The two most common issues as identified by their clients were access to benefits and street homelessness.

Unemployment, or help finding work, access to health services including drug and alcohol treatment, and general assistance with housing and accommodation were also frequent presenting issues. Other issues mentioned included help getting a National Insurance Number, finding relatives, help to return to Ireland, financial problems in Ireland and/or UK, lack of identification, and lack of money.

In addition to the direct issue(s) presented by their clients, we also asked the organisations to give us their own opinion of any additional support needs they felt their clients had, even if the client did not give this as the reason for accessing the service.

Along with the practical issues mentioned above such as access to housing and benefits, virtually all of the organisations we received responses from also mentioned that a large number of their clients have high support needs in relation to mental health, drug or alcohol addiction and physical health which may or may not be recognised or acknowledged by the clients themselves.

Organisations dealing with such clients stressed the very high need and the level of input that goes into working with the multiple issues involved for any particular person. When there are issues such as mental health problems or addiction, the organisations suggested that it adds complications and complexities far beyond the issue the client may initially come to their service for.

Other support needs identified by the organisations included dealing with bereavement, general medical care, sexual and/or domestic violence, and lack of photo identification.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann is a 33 year old female from the Travelling Community. Mary Ann left Ireland due to domestic violence issues with her husband. She has lived in the UK before and is currently staying with family members. She presented to an Irish organisation for assistance in getting her benefits up and running in the UK. She also suffers from mental health issues.

Reasons for leaving Ireland

The most frequently mentioned reason given for leaving Ireland was unemployment. This was specifically mentioned by nine organisations. This was followed closely by family problems of various kinds, including relationship breakdown, family breakdown, chaotic family background, domestic violence, disagreements with family and death of a family member.

Other frequently quoted reasons were homelessness in Ireland, seeking to escape a drug or alcohol addiction, people facing threats in relation to drugs or violence and previous or current problems with the law in Ireland.

Another issue reported by a small number of organisations was a rise in the number of people fleeing debts or financial difficulty in Ireland.

Problems encountered on arrival in the UK and difficulties in

accessing services

We asked the organisations whether they were aware of any particular difficulties or problems newly arrived Irish emigrants have when accessing services such as housing and benefits in the UK, and if so, to provide some detail on the types of issues and problems faced.

Many of the problems and issues encountered by newly arrived emigrants were repeated by several organisations; however there were distinctions between different council and local authority areas, particularly in relation to entitlement to housing. The following are some of the issues as presented by the organisations both through the online survey and in face to face meetings.

James

James is 30 years old and from Dublin. He has had drug issues for many years and was recently in a residential drug treatment programme. When his treatment finished, he moved back in with his family in Dublin. However shortly afterwards he got involved with a gang in the local area and ended up owing them money. James was threatened by the gang and felt he had to leave Ireland.

James had previously spent short periods living in the UK at various times in his twenties, so after he arrived in the UK he presented to an Irish support

organisation that had helped him previously. They helped James to apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance. The process was relatively straightforward for James because he had lived in the area before and he already had a National Insurance Number. James now has benefits up and running and has a secure bed in a long-stay hostel.

Lack of preparation and information

It was reported that people arrive in the UK unprepared and with no prior planning. People expect to get set up very quickly; however the reality experienced by the organisations is that people arrive with no identification, with little or no money, and have unrealistic expectations about finding jobs and accommodation.

It was also reported that there is a lack of accessible information available on the internet and that the information that is available online is not easily accessible and can be confusing and often contradictory.

Jake

Jake is a 28 year old single male from Dublin. He had been living in various hostels in the Dublin area since the age of 16, and had been involved with gangs from a young age. After his brother was killed by a gang member in Dublin, Jake was in fear for his life and he fled Dublin getting the ferry and bus to London.

Jake presented to an Irish support service shortly after his arrival in London; however it was not possible for him to avail of their homeless services until he had his National Insurance Number and benefit claim up and running. This process took approximately six weeks during which time Jake had no option but to sleep on the streets.

Jake has extremely complex physical and mental health support needs and requires medication for schizophrenia and depression. Jake also has high support needs around alcohol and drugs. The Irish support service helped Jake to register with a local GP and access prescribed medication. Jake also accessed a day service for food, showers and clothes prior to accessing accommodation in the local area.

When Jake’s National Insurance Number and benefits eventually came through, the Irish support service managed to secure hostel accommodation for Jake and were able to assess his support needs more closely. When the anniversary of his brother’s death came up, Jake became extremely depressed. His drinking increased, he began using drugs again and he tried to commit suicide. Because Jake was linked in with services by this point, he had some supports available to him to get him through this tough period.

Jake subsequently moved to another hostel which specialises in working with a high support need client group. Jake is still in this hostel and is improving slowly. He is linked in with drug and alcohol services and meets with his key worker on a regular basis.

Housing

In relation to the private rented market, a key issue that emerged again was lack of awareness and knowledge. It was reported that some new arrivals have no awareness of the cost of private rented accommodation, the competitiveness of the housing market, and the high rents in London in particular. There is a general lack of awareness of how much money is needed to secure a place to live, and people arrive over without sufficient funds to cover a large deposit and a month’s rent in advance which are generally required to secure a property. Affordability of housing in the private rented market was mentioned as an issue even for those who do find work.

Other issues included over reliance on family and friends, and unrealistic expectations about staying with family or friends for too long. It was also reported that some people have little or no knowledge of London in particular, and have no awareness of which areas are affordable to live in.

Difficulty in finding a landlord willing to accept housing benefit was also mentioned by a number of organisations. It was expected that reform of the housing benefit system and the introduction of maximum accommodation rates will make it more difficult for people to afford rented accommodation, as it is thought that the new rates will not cover the full cost of rent, particularly in London, and people will have to make up any shortfall themselves.

Access to temporary or emergency accommodation for people who may be homeless upon arrival was flagged as a real difficulty. In general it was reported that there was a lack of accessible emergency accommodation. While in the past, Irish support organisations may have been able to secure temporary emergency accommodation for a client with a housing association or hostel set up specifically to service the Irish population, this is no longer the case in most areas. Access to homeless services has become more restricted and referrals to hostels and other emergency accommodation now must usually come through the local Council. In the main, a person must have a local connection to an area in order to be eligible for homeless accommodation and many new arrivals are unaware of this. In some boroughs of London in particular this is resulting in new arrivals being refused access to emergency

accommodation and ‘reconnected’ back to the part of Ireland they came from.

Having a local connection to an area was also mentioned in the context of longer term social housing. Again, a person must have a local connection to the area in which they are applying for social housing, and it is up to each local Council area to determine what a sufficient local connection is. Generally a previous history of residence in the area, close family members living in the area or employment in the area are all considered as a local connection; however none of these apply to many Irish people arriving in the UK for the first time and they may find themselves ineligible for social housing if that is the case.

State benefits and supports

Lack of awareness and planning was again a key issue in relation to accessing benefits. Not having a National Insurance Number (equivalent to an Irish PPS Number) was reported as the most common obstacle to accessing benefits. Most new arrivals in the UK do not have a National Insurance Number unless they have lived or worked in the UK before. It is not possible to claim benefits until they have applied for and received a National Insurance Number, a process that can take anything from 4-8 weeks. It was reported that people have no idea how long it can take to get established, and are not financially prepared for a delay in accessing benefits.

It was also reported that upcoming welfare reform in the UK will make it more difficult for newcomers to get set up and access benefits. While it is still unsure how the reform will impact particular payments, it was highlighted that the new ‘single allowance’ due to be introduced in 2013 will make things very difficult for families in particular as it is expected that the allowance will not be sufficient to cover accommodation, school costs, food, and other basic necessities. It is also proposed that Crisis Loans are to be scrapped under the new benefits system which will remove the emergency safety net payment that currently exists for people who cannot access a mainstream payment.

Only one organisation mentioned that some Irish people have experienced difficulties accessing benefits in the UK because of the Habitual Residence Test. None of the other organisations reported difficulties for Irish citizens in relation to habitual residence and claiming benefits in the UK.

Liam

Liam is an 18 year old young man from Dublin who comes from a difficult family background. Liam left school at the age of 13 and spent his teenage years in care homes. He also has a number of convictions for various offences as a juvenile. Liam decided to leave Ireland as he had cousins in London. His cousins referred him to a support service they had previously been involved in. This service provided Liam with housing advice and linked him with a Safe Start project in the London area, a project that was founded in order to provide safe and secure accommodation to the newly arrived Irish in the 1980s.

Liam also accessed a range of other services with the help of the support service including education, employment and training. He also attended IT classes, devised a CV and attended interview skills training. The support service also provided Liam with access to a nurse for health advice and support to address his cannabis use, panic attacks and anxiety.

Employment and finding work

Two organisations mentioned that their Irish clients seem determined and knowledgeable about getting employment, and that most seem to find employment more quickly than people of other nationalities.

However this was not the experience of all of the organisations. It was more commonly mentioned that people are arriving over with a low level of education and a poor employment record in Ireland and expect to find work almost immediately. Specifically, it was reported that many people have a lack of knowledge about the requirements to work in the

construction industry in the UK, and that they are not immediately employable because they lack a trade of qualifications when looking for construction work, or do not have a

Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card which is required to work on construction sites in the UK.

Other

Other difficulties or problems encountered included having no access to a GP, not having any photo identification, and low levels of social support.

JB

JB is 21 years old and from Co. Cavan. He went to England to look for work after his job as a construction worker came to an abrupt end due to the recession in Ireland. He arrived in London with very little savings, and had been living on the streets of West London for five days before he presented to a support service. The support service managed to get JB a bed in a church-run cold weather shelter that operates during the winter months. The church shelter also assisted JB to make an application for benefits; however as it was his first time in the UK it took approximately four weeks before any benefits came through. In the meantime, JB was supported to link in to another Irish support service and was given a small amount of money to help him get by until he received his benefits. He was also provided with food and clothing when needed, and was provided with a daily bus pass to help him to seek employment.

A few months after JB started to receive benefits, he was offered council housing in a small bedsit. This was approximately four-five months after JB’s arrival in London. Two months later, JB successfully found steady employment with a large building company. He is currently still employed, and still maintaining his flat.

Conclusion

We can assume that the number of emigrants falling into the ‘vulnerable’ category is only a very small proportion of the tens of thousands who have emigrated over the last few years. Nonetheless, based on the research findings, it appears that these vulnerable emigrants are people who have very high support needs.

These people often leave Ireland in chaotic circumstances, with the decision to leave made with little or no preparation. The findings show that these vulnerable emigrants are often unaware of their rights and entitlements in the UK, and are unlikely to have sought advice or done any planning or research prior to their move. These people then find themselves more at risk of homelessness, and/or having difficulty accessing housing and welfare services in the UK, potentially finding themselves in a worse situation than that which they left in Ireland.

This report has found that:

• Homeless and welfare services in the UK are seeing newly arrived Irish emigrants • The rate at which this is happening is very difficult to ascertain but statistics from the

CHAIN database (see Appendix C) show that in 2011 there was an 84% increase (to 79) in the number of new rough sleepers in London with Irish nationality

• According to the services interviewed the most frequently quoted reason for leaving

Ireland was unemployment

• Many of the new Irish people presenting to services in the UK had pre-existing issues

before leaving Ireland such as addiction, mental health problems, domestic violence or debt

• The services we spoke to mentioned the following in relation to new Irish arrivals

presenting to their services:

→ people had low levels of education and a poor employment record in Ireland → people arrive in the UK unprepared and with no prior planning

→ there was a lack of awareness in relation to the difficulties in accessing accommodation and benefits

→ not having a National Insurance Number was reported as the most common obstacle to accessing benefits

In the context of the above findings we can conclude that emigrants, particularly those in vulnerable situations, need to be better prepared and informed prior to departing for the UK.

Recommendations

A lack of information and preparation amongst vulnerable Irish emigrants was one of the primary findings of this research. In addition, many of the people who presented to services in the UK had pre-existing issues prior to departure from Ireland. On this basis, our

recommendations are:

• Vulnerable potential emigrants should be provided with relevant information in an

accessible manner before they leave Ireland. Specific strategies should be considered to target young unemployed males, as this was the dominant profile of vulnerable emigrants identified

• Irish statutory and non-government services working with people in vulnerable

situations should be alerted to the possibility that their service users may emigrate in an unprepared manner. Such services should be able to provide potential emigrants with essential information and link them to appropriate support organisations. Services that work in the following areas are particularly relevant:

→ Domestic violence → Addiction

→ Homelessness

→ Prison, probation and ex-offender services → The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) → Mental health

In addition to the broader recommendations outlined here, some specific recommendations for action that were made directly by UK-based Irish support organisations include:

• Create a list of private hostels, bed and breakfasts and cheap rooms in a number of

cities to refer people to while they get set up for benefits and can then find rented accommodation that accepts housing benefit

• Develop a one/two page information leaflet containing basic crucial information for

people going to the UK, such as make sure to bring your birth certificate and/or photo ID, bring sufficient money for the initial period

• Develop good contacts and referral mechanisms between relevant organisations in

Appendix A

List of Organisations Contacted

City

Organisation

Birmingham Irish Welfare and Information Centre SIFA Fireside

Salvation Army Coventry Coventry Irish Society

Leeds Leeds Irish and Health Homes Salvation Army

Liverpool Irish Community Care Merseyside Salvation Army

The Basement

London Acton Homeless Concern Brent Irish Advisory Service

Causeway Irish Housing Association Centrepoint

Cricklewood Homeless Concern Embassy of Ireland

Federation of Irish Societies Haringey Irish Centre Homeless Link

Immigrant Counselling and Psychotherapy Innisfree Housing Association

Irish Centre Housing (Conway House) Irish Chaplaincy in Britain

Irish Community Services (Greenwich, Bexley & Lewisham) Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith

Irish Post Newspaper

Irish Support and Advice Service Hammersmith Irish Traveller Movement in Britain

Lewisham Irish Community Centre London Irish Centre

London

contd. New Horizon Youth Centre Safe Start Foundation St. Mungo’s

Shelter

Single Homeless Project Solace Women's Aid The Passage Day Centre Salvation Army - Central Salvation Army - North East Salvation Army - South East Luton Luton Irish Forum

NOAH Enterprise Manchester Booth Centre

Irish Community Care Manchester Salvation Army

Appendix B

Online Survey

1. Have any newly arrived Irish emigrants accessed your service within the last 12 months? (By 'newly arrived Irish emigrants' we mean people who have moved to the UK from the Republic of Ireland in the last 12 months, not people who have been living in the UK long-term)

2. Have you noticed that there has been an increase in the number of newly arrived Irish emigrants accessing your service in the last 12 months than in previous years?

3. If yes please elaborate

4. What is the general profile of these newly arrived emigrants? For example single or family; male or female; age; first time in the UK or lived in the UK before etc.

5. What are the main reasons they have given (if any) for leaving Ireland? For example unemployment, homelessness, violence, addiction, physical/mental health, family problems etc.

6. What are the most common issues/needs that they present to your service with?

7. What do YOU consider are their primary support needs?

8. Are you aware of any particular difficulties or problems newly arrived Irish emigrants have when accessing services (housing, benefits etc.) in the UK?

9. If yes, please provide more detail on the types of issues/problems faced

10. Would you be willing to do an interview on our behalf with a newly arrived emigrant who is accessing your service and write up a short case study outlining their circumstances and experiences?

Appendix C

Statistics

Central Statistics Office, Ireland - Population and Migration Estimates

Estimated emigration of Irish Nationals*

Year To April 2011 To April 2010 To April 2009 To April 2008 To April 2007 To April 2006 Number of Irish

emigrants (to all destinations) 40,200 27,700 18,400 13,400 13,100 15,300 Irish nationals as a % of all emigrants from Ireland 53% 42% 28% 30% 31% 43%

*These figures cover emigration of Irish nationals to ALL destinations, not just to the UK. It is not specified whether the nature of this emigration is temporary or permanent.

Department of Work and Pensions, UK

National Insurance Numbers registered to adult Irish nationals entering the UK**

Year 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006

Number of National Insurance Numbers issued to adult Irish nationals entering the UK

17,040 13,920 11,050 10,550 10,580 9,510

Department of Work and Pensions, UK (continued)

Jobseeker’s Allowance claims in the UK where the ethnicity of claimant is identified as ‘White: Irish’*** Year Nov 2011 Nov 2010 Nov 2009 Nov 2008 Nov 2007 Nov 2006 Number of Jobseeker’s Allowance cases 8,750 8,250 9,700 7,060 5,240 6,650

*** These figures do not reflect new Irish arrivals in the UK, but the total number of people with Irish nationality who receive Jobseeker’s Allowance in the UK

CHAIN – Broadway, London

www.broadwaylondon.org/CHAIN.html

Number of new rough sleepers in London with Irish nationality****

Year 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006

Number of Irish new

rough sleepers in London 79 43 44 45 48 55

**** These figures do not reflect new Irish arrivals in the UK, but could also include Irish nationals who are long-term residents in the UK