Change-Up Report on
Refugee Infrastructure Support
for Community Action Hampshire
20th March 2006
Martin De La Haye
CLEAR Project Manager
023 8022 2271
[email protected]
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Index
Page
1. Background information 3
2. The refugee / asylum seeker population in Hampshire 3
3. Services available / used 6
4. Conclusion 10
5. Refugee Case Studies 12
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1 Background information
Aim of the report
This report, compiled by CLEAR (City Life Education & Action for Refugees) at the
request of Community Action Hampshire, seeks to identify the refugee population in
Hampshire, and quantify to what extent they engage with public services available to
them. Where there is a lack of engagement we will seek to identify why this should
be so.
Methodology
This report is written based on statistics and other information gathered by CLEAR
during the course of its work to support refugees and asylum seekers. Some of this
has previously been published, some not. It also relies on other information in the
public domain. Other sources have been identified in the body of the text.
A questionnaire survey to give a more detailed and accurate local picture was
commissioned, through CLEAR, with the Winchester Visitors’ Group. They have not
been able to undertake this survey in the time available to them.
Definitions
Refugee: a refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social
group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or,
owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country…"*
*Article 1, The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
Asylum seeker: an asylum seeker is someone who has made a formal application
for protection in the UK, and is awaiting a decision about their status. If their
application is accepted, they become a refugee. By law, anyone has the right to
apply for asylum and remain in the UK until a decision on their application has been
made.
2 The refugee / asylum seeker population in Hampshire
The vast majority of refugees and asylum seekers in Hampshire live in the urban
areas of Southampton and Portsmouth and Basingstoke, with smaller clusters in,
Aldershot, Farnborough, Borden, Fleet, Gosport, Eastleigh and Fordingbridge*. The
report from which these figures are quoted records no refugees or asylum seekers in
Winchester, the initial area of study. This view is endorsed by the Winchester Visitors
Group, who are based in Winchester, and who work to support asylum seekers. They
confirm that their clientele lives predominantly in the Southampton area.
*Refugees & Asylum Seekers in the South East Health Region Forum, 15/02/05
Asylum seeker dispersal
With asylum seekers the pattern of dispersal is dictated almost entirely by the Home
Office National Asylum Seeker Service (NASS). They contract with local authorities
and with housing associations to provide accommodation for asylum seekers. The
asylum seekers have no choice where they are sent, and can be moved to other
cities at NASS’s discretion. After initial dispersal some asylum seekers choose to
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drop out of this system of NASS support, and receive only a basic subsistence
allowance (and no other benefits). They often rely on friends or family or others for
accommodation and other support.
Within Hampshire, only Portsmouth City Council currently holds a NASS contract to
house asylum seekers. The NASS contract with Southampton City Council was
terminated in 2004, and all asylum seekers receiving NASS support were moved to
other locations. In February 2005 there were 545 asylum seekers known to be living
in Portsmouth in NASS accommodation, and just 3 recorded in Southampton, from a
regional total of 2033*.
*The Home Office – Asylum Statistics UK 2004 13/05, 23/08/05
However, this figure only represents a proportion of the total number of asylum
seekers in Hampshire, because it only relates to those supported in NASS
accommodation. It does not include those who have opted out of NASS support, or
those who’s claims have failed and who are appealing, those who are awaiting
deportation, or those who have gone underground to escape deportation. ICAR (the
Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees in the UK) reports NASS statistics
for June 2005 of 75 asylum seekers living in Southampton and receiving subsistence
only support from NASS, compared with 5 asylum seekers living in Southampton and
receiving accommodation and subsistence.
There is also a strong possibility that NASS will enter into a new contract for the
dispersal of asylum seekers within Hampshire, and there have been persistent
rumours that a new contract to accommodate asylum seekers in Southampton is
imminent. This would have a significant impact on the demand for local services.
The group whose needs give the most cause for concern are those failed asylum
seekers who are basically unsupported and facing destitution. This group, whose
choice is repatriation to a country where they genuinely fear for their lives, or
sleeping rough locally will generally choose the latter option. They are extremely
vulnerable, particularly in terms of health, and in vulnerability to be victims of crime,
and particularly hard to reach, even for voluntary sectors age.
Refugee dispersal
For refugees the pattern of dispersal is more complicated. Once asylum seekers are
given refugee status their location is not monitored. They are allowed to work, and
this gives increased mobility, and family or ethnic community ties, as well as
employment, often draw people to specific areas. It is evident that within cities,
refugee populations are often concentrated into specific localities. As well as
community and cultural ties this is likely to be because of relative poverty – the vast
majority of refugees are located in the poorest wards. Within Southampton these are
Bargate and Bevios wards.
There are two significant exceptions to this rule. One is that those accessing council
housing (or housing association accommodation) may choose housing offered
outside of these central areas. The other is that relative integration (and affluence
through permanent employment) enables refugees to have a greater choice over
their location, to the point where they become indistinguishable from the resident
population.
Whilst some refugees want to find and remain in a community, and retain a strong
sense of cultural identity, for others there is a determination to integrate and build a
new life in the UK. It is easy to understand why, having suffered trauma in their
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country of origin, possibly detention and several years of poverty in the UK with no
control over their destiny, that many would want to put these experiences behind
them. This personal choice, of course, makes identification of the true proportion of
the refugee population hard to estimate, or even to decide what criteria should be
used to classify a person as a refugee.
It is generally accepted, however, that there are between 3,000 and 4,000 refugees
in Southampton.
The biggest area of growth in the refugee population of Southampton in the last year
is the number of family reunions. This is presumably more noticeable because of the
lack of incoming asylum seekers, and is because the existing refugee population is
becoming more established and settled. This creates demand for a different set of
services, primarily relating to accommodation, benefits, education and healthcare.
We have also seen small numbers of migration within the EU of former refugees,
who have gained status in other European countries, and chosen to migrate to the
UK, again for reasons of employment or family ties.
Main communities
The main refugee communities in Southampton (the nearest population to
Winchester, the area of study) are Kurdish, Somalian, and Afghan, with significant
other populations from Congo and Sudan. There are also individuals who are
isolated by being from an ethnic background with no established community – in the
past year we have had clients from Nepal, and Burma (Myanmar).
To give an indication of the proportion of the refugee communities’ countries of
origin, the percentage of clients of the CLEAR advice service in 2004 was:
• Iraq (Kurdish) 30%
• Iran (Kurdish or other) 14%
• Somalia 12%
• Afghanistan 8%
• Congo 6%
• Sudan 5%
• Other African 19%
• Rest of World 6%
The main languages spoken (by those accessing the CLEAR advice service) are:
• Kurdish 29%
• Farsi 21%
• French 13%
• Somali 12%
• Arabic 8%
• English 5%
• Other 11%
Some refugees integrate into an existing ethnic community, however it should be
recognised that within these refugee communities there are natural divisions based
on language, religion, region, tribe or clan. It is wrong, therefore to consider any of
the larger refugee communities as homogenous. This is particularly relevant when
trying to communicate with the refugee communities – community groups or
individual leaders are often a first point of contact, but may not represent the entire
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cohort of a community. They might also act as gatekeepers to those communities,
either choosing not to disseminate information or not having a mechanism to do so.
Issues faced
Refugees and asylum seekers face a wide range of issues. Gaining refugee status is
the beginning of a long and often difficult struggle to build a new life. Often
separation from husbands, wives and children are foremost in refugees’ minds, but
there is a more immediate need to find a place to live and support, either through
employment or benefits. On gaining refugee status, those in NASS support are given
28 days to find alternative accommodation, and neither employment nor benefits can
be accessed before the issue of a National Insurance number. We have seen many
cases where a client has faced complete poverty whilst waiting for different agencies
to complete these actions. Friend, families, community and other support groups are
the only recourse in these circumstances.
On top of the issues faced as a direct result of being a refugee, refugees also face
the same issues as everybody else, for example ill health, trying to get a child into a
school, domestic violence and racial abuse. To give examples of refugee
experiences two short case studies have been drawn from the CLEAR annual report,
and are attached at Section 5.
3 Services available / used
Sector Services available Services Used
Health (inc mental health) • GP • GP
• drop-in clinic • hospitals
• hospitals (A&E for minor • drop-in clinics
complaints) • MIND
• counselling /
psychotherapy
• dentistry
• chiropody
• physiotherapy
Notes:
If a GP appointment cannot be obtained, there is a
tendency to present at A&E for relatively minor
complaints.
Access to psychiatric services, counselling, and other
therapeutic forms of healthcare is limited unless
referred by a GP.
Access to dentistry is very severely restricted. Some
support workers (particularly in supported housing) help
with this activity.
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Sector Services available Services Used
Education (child & adult) • schools • schools
• colleges • colleges
• universities • universities
• Wheatsheaf Trust • Wheatsheaf Trust
• CLEAR • CLEAR
• Eastpoint & Crescent • community associations
training deliverers
• Northam Learning
Centre
• Learn Direct
• community associations
Notes:
Most adult refugees would be referred to ESOL (English
for Speakers of Other languages) if their level of English
is below Entry Level 3.
Housing • NASS supported • NASS supported
housing housing
• Council housing • Council housing
• housing associations • housing associations
• private landlords • private landlords
• charitably supported • charitably supported
accommodation accommodation
• each other • each other
Notes:
Many refugees, at some point, rely on family, friends, or
those in their ethnic community for accommodation at
some point. This can become institutionalised
behaviour established as an asylum seeker who has
opted out of NASS accommodation. The result is
overcrowding and illegal multiple occupancy of rooms.
Money/debt/benefits • Benefits Agency • Benefits Agency
• JobCentrePlus • JobCentrePlus
• Local Authority (Housing • Local Authority (Housing
Benefit) Benefit)
• high street banks • high street banks
• Post Office • Post Office
• each other • each other
Notes:
Often refugees have problems accessing benefits. We
have been told by benefits Agency workers that they
have been instructed to refuse claims with any minor
inconsistency.
Refugee can also have problems establishing a bank
account, with their identity often being questioned.
Again refugees will often rely on friends, family or
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community in times of hardship, having no other
recourse.
There is no specific debt or money management
advice, and refugees often struggle financially because
they don’t understand the complex arrangements of
benefits, e.g. housing benefit being reduced if you find
work.
Employment • JobCentre Plus • JobCentre Plus
• Wheatsheaf Trust • Wheatsheaf Trust
• CLEAR • CLEAR
• Recruitment agencies • Recruitment agencies
Notes:
Mainstream agencies in Southampton are well co-
ordinated under the Southampton City Council BRITES
Plus programme.
Many refugees are skilled and educated to degree
level, but struggle to find commensurate work because
their qualifications are not recognised.
Many refugees find work by word of mouth. This is often
temporary, and insecure, but affords the benefit of
working with people you know.
Law • Solicitors • Solicitors
• Refugee Action • Refugee Action
• CLEAR • CLEAR
• Citizen’s Advice (CAB) • Winchester Visitors
• Winchester Visitors Group
Group • Other advice services
• Other advice services
Note:
Most refugees will have had access to solicitors during
their claim for asylum. However few can afford legal
fees, and would need to claim legal aid. This is
restricted to 5 hours for asylum claims. A refugees
solicitor may be in another city to which they were sent
as an asylum seeker.
Immigration matters would be dealt with by Refugee
Action, as well as a client’s solicitor.
CLEAR are only qualified to signpost, but have the
Community Legal Services Quality Mark for their pre-
legal casework service.
The Winchester Visitors’ Group have been able to fund
or find pro-bono legal advice.
We are aware of refugees and asylum seekers who
have sought advice at centres in other areas,
particularly in London.
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Sector Services available Services Used
General Advice • CLEAR • CLEAR
• Community Associations • Community Associations
• Citizen’s Advice (CAB) • Citizen’s Advice (CAB)
• Council Neighbourhood • Council Neighbourhood
Advice Centres Advice Centres
• Winchester Visitors • Winchester Visitors
Group Group
• Local Authority Offices • Local Authority Offices
Social activities • Winchester Visitors • Winchester Visitors
Group Group
• CLEAR • CLEAR
• Community Associations • Community Associations
Notes:
The importance of social activities should not be
overlooked. These allow normality of life and play a
significant part in both mental well-being, and
integration.
The list of services available or accessed is not exhaustive. Without reference to the
missing survey data it cannot be claimed to be wholly accurate.
The effects of European Union (EU) accession on demand for services
Since May 2004 there was been an influx of (legal) migrant workers to the UK. In
Southampton (where one of the largest refugee populations in Hampshire lives) it is
estimated that there are already at least 12,000 migrant workers, predominantly
Poles. This equates to approximately three migrant workers for every refugee.
Because a higher proportion of these EU migrant workers speaks good English, and
because there is a better understanding of their right to work by employers, EU
migrant workers have displaced a significant number of the refugee population in
employment.
Some employers are now recruiting staff specifically from Poland and other EU
accession states. In at least one case an entire workforce, consisting largely of
refugees, was replaced entirely with one recruited from Poland. Whilst there are
potentially benefits to the employer, this ‘ethnic cleansing’ of an entire workforce is
most disturbing. Because of a higher level of wealth, more secure employment and
therefore income, EU migrant workers have also displaced refugees in being able to
find and retain accommodation, which is now at a premium in the rental sector.
Similarly whilst on average most EU migrants have a better level of English than the
refugee population (excluding those from English speaking countries), there has
been a huge demand in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at local
colleges, and again EU migrants are tending to displace existing refugee and BME
communities. CLEAR, which runs three Pre-Entry Level English classes per week
specifically for refugees has come under pressure to widen its criteria to accept EU
students.
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Whilst many EU citizens are here temporarily with an expectation to return to their
country of origin, others are putting down roots and bringing families with them.
Within a very short time this will put an extra burden on statutory bodies, in particular,
in housing, health, and social security. While the understanding of their rights
amongst these EU migrants is generally very good, there have been cases where
individuals have been left destitute, unable to support themselves and with no
recourse to public funds.
4 Conclusion
The area of study initially was Winchester. However it quickly became apparent that
there is no sizable population of refugees or asylum seekers that could be identified
in Winchester. For analysis of the infrastructure needed to support a refugee
population the study area refocused on Southampton, as the nearest large urban
area, and where there is a sizable refugee population.
Refugees migrate to the bigger urban areas because they are initially sent there by
NASS, or because of family or community links. They are often introduced to the
statutory and other services in that area by friends, family or community (should they
have any of these), by voluntary support groups and agencies such as Refugee
Action and some housing associations which offer supported housing.
Very few refugees have a single problem to resolve. Their lives are a complex
mixture of issues relating to their family, housing, employment, benefits, their
immigration status, and their health (both physical and mental). Whilst some of the
larger statutory agencies are getting better at responding to individuals needs, most
do not have a strategic overview of a person’s situation, or enough time to get to the
root of their problems, only addressing the immediate need presented.
Service supply operates on three levels. On the top tier is the local authority and
statutory agencies. For them refugees represent a small proportion of their client
group, and their ability to respond to their needs varies widely.
On the second tier are the other agencies (e.g. housing associations) and voluntary
sector organisations, who have a specific remit to resolve the complex problems, a
good knowledge of systems (benefits, housing allocation) and good relationships
both with individuals in statutory agencies and with individuals in the refugee
community. They are able to take an overview, and take time to advocate for a
satisfactory outcome.
On the third tier are the community groups. These play a vital role in supporting
refugees in their communities. They offer a unique level of communication within
their community, particularly where English is not a first language. However they
suffer from the perception that they are only focussed on the needs of their own
community, when Government policy is directed towards integration with the existing
UK population.
The most effective approach to assist refugees to engage with local services has
been when the local authority coordinates groups with common goals in service
delivery. Examples of this would include the BRITES and BRITES Plus projects in
Southampton. This has worked extremely well in ensuring that the smaller agencies
and voluntary organisations engage well together and do not duplicate work. The
statutory authority has the influence to take issues of best practice to the larger
statutory authorities.
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The only area that this approach could be considered as less effective is in drawing
in the community associations. For this to be more effective both sides need to be
more inclusive – the larger bodies readier to work with individual community groups,
and the community groups to be more outward facing and have a wider focus.
However to enable refugees and asylum seekers access the services to which they
are entitled, the most effective route must begin where they are currently choosing to
access services themselves.
Recommendations
To get really meaningful local information about where refugees and asylum seekers
choose to access services, it is strongly recommended that the questionnaire that
was supposed to feed into this report is completed. We believe that the results from
Southampton would be relatively transferable to other geographic locations within
Hampshire, in terms of whether statutory, voluntary or community organisations are
the primary point of contact.
As well as showing which services are accessed and by what route, this would also
provide a qualitative assessment of the quality of service received. We consider this
information crucial to understanding what infrastructure is required to support
refugees in Hampshire.
It has also been suggested that a further study is undertaken to look at parallels with
migrant workers (mainly agricultural) in the rural areas of Hampshire.
In terms of infrastructure requirement, it seems clear that:
a) there is a role for local authorities and statutory bodies to take responsibility for
coordinating the work of the various agencies in ensuring the efficient delivery of
services, avoiding duplication, encouraging partnership working (including joint
funding bids in the voluntary sector), and the dissemination of best practice. This
could be achieved directly, or delivered through other agencies (such as CAH, and
local Voluntary Services).
b) the middle tier organisations (housing associations, voluntary sector organisations,
etc.) seem best placed to develop capacity locally, and county wide, building on their
existing relationships with each other, the statutory organisations, and the client
groups that they support. Some of these organisations, particularly in the voluntary
sector, may not be comfortable to step outside their exiting remit, and this should be
accepted. However these organisations must equally accept that this may restrict
their access to public funds and their ability to sustain and grow their own services
outside of the context of Change-Up.
If this route is adopted as the best way to increase capacity and develop
infrastructure, there may be a case for a temporary role establishing which voluntary
organisations feel able to accept this type of change and which do not. This role
could incorporate giving advice and guidance for those wishing to develop.
c) pending confirmation of access points to services, it would seem reasonable to
recommend that part of any capacity building exercise should address funding for
community groups, but also developing a better mutual understanding of their role
not just in terms of serving their own communities, but also in terms of promoting
wider access and looking outward to how that community integrates into the locality.
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5 Refugee Case Studies
Patrick
Patrick is from an African country. He came to the UK in 2003, fleeing from political
persecution, and was awarded Indefinite Leave to Remain in 2004. He is married
and has three children (one adopted). All were in his country of origin and he was
desperate to be reunited with them.
Patrick was a successful business man, running an import business, and he would
like to run his own business in the UK. He was directed to training on business
planning and law in the UK, and referred to a local college to improve his computer
skills. CLEAR also paid for him to attend a training day at the Chamber of Commerce
in UK Import/Export Procedures.
By the autumn he was very short of money, and so instead of pursuing his business
plan he began to apply for temporary work. He got a job just before Christmas, and
was later asked to apply for a permanent job in the same place. However, Patrick
had recently become depressed, following problems obtaining a visa for his adopted
child. He finds the long shifts he is working tiring, and has had problems with his
health. Because of this he has abandoned his computer course.
This illustrates that it can be difficult to keep motivated and focussed on long term
goals while having to support yourself and reunite your family, when plans for a new
life always seem just out of reach.
Minutu
Imagine having to flee for your life to another country leaving your three children (one
aged five and twins of three) behind. That is what Minutu had to do when, as a Hutu
woman married to a Tutsi, her life and that of her family were threatened during the
civil war in Burundi. Her husband had already been killed.
Once in the UK she claimed asylum and was sent to Southampton to await a
decision by the Home Office. She first came into contact with CLEAR having been
granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, and was given help to find a place to live and to
fill in benefit forms. She soon found work as a care-assistant, but came to CLEAR
again for help after she suffered threats from some youths near her flat. CLEAR
liased with the police to address the immediate problem, and with the landlord who
found her another flat.
We did not see Minutu for six months until she came in with news that not only had
she given birth to a baby son three weeks ago, but at the same time the Red Cross
had managed to trace her three older children to an orphanage in Uganda, and
arranged to bring them to England to be reunited with their mother. There were
mixed emotions - of course she was overjoyed to find her children alive after four
years, but was exhausted due to suffering a serious infection after childbirth, caring
alone for the new baby, and now having to meet the demands of three lively children
aged seven and nine.
Minutu again received help from CLEAR over the next few months to claim additional
benefits, to find school places, register the baby and gather the necessary clothes,
toys and furniture for the new family. There were the inevitable delays of benefits
being awarded, requiring several weeks of intensive work - accompanying her on
visits to social services, tax and benefit offices, basics bank etc.
It has been such a joy to see this family happily settled together in a new home, the
children thriving at school and joining in with local social activities and Minutu has
been able to start a part time job.
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