using services for the homeless abroad. polish rough sleepers in brussels and oslo

European Research Conference, Budapest, 17th September 2010UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING EXCLUSION IN THE NEW

EUROPEAN CONTEXT

ENHR

Using services for the homeless abroad. Polish rough sleepers in Brussels and Oslo

Magdalena Mostowska

University of Warsaw, Poland


EUROPEAN CONTEXTENHR

Plan of the presentation

Comparing Polish migration patterns to Brussels and Oslo About the project and informants Provision of low-threshold services for the homeless in Brussels and Oslo Exclusion and inclusion of Poles from services Conclusions



Polish migration to Belgium and Norway

Belgium (Brussels) Norway (Oslo)

Older and more gender balanced population (30 000; 16 000 in Brussels, 2008)Supposedly many unregistered workers (20 000? in Brussels)

Younger population, more men(50 000; 9 000 in Oslo, 2010) (83% work permits for men)Supposedly fewer unregistered workers

Largest influx of Poles in the 1990s (from Podlasie, mainly to Brussels)

Largest migration after 2004 (from different regions, to various cities)

Established Informal networks (illegal work in 1990s) (labor market opened May 1st, 2009)

Supposedly less established informal networks (labor market opened January 1st, 2010)

Construction and domestic work (large gray zone)

Oslo 93% men in construction, underpaid75% women in cleaning (large gray zone)

Pendular migration Family reunions



About the project

Brussels Oslo

Fieldwork August 2008, February 2009, August-September 2009

January-June 2010

My informants (street-regulars)

ca. 80 men and women (more older men)

ca. 40 only men

Ethnographic field

Public spaces, gathering places, services, experts’ interviews

Services, gathering places, public spaces, experts’ interviews, volunteer work

Rough sleepers population

Larger group about 100 people No larger group

Longer periods of street life Episodes of rough sleeping

Well established groups in the public space

Individuals in public space



Provision of low-threshold services for the homeless

Brussels Oslo

Homelessness survey

995 in Brussels (2008)

545 rough sleepers

[city count]

6 000 in Norway (2008)

1 500 in Oslo, 3% rough sleepers

[questionnaires from institutions]

11% CASU clients from Eastern Europe (2008)

2% of homeless people from Eastern Europe (2008)

?? 61% of homeless people are drug or alcohol addicted

Provision of services

Municipal, regional, non-governmental

Municipal and non-governmental, mainly via drug-prevention programs



Provision of low-threshold services for the homeless

Services used by Poles Brussels Oslo

Low-threshold services

Soup runs ++ +

Soup kitchens +++ +++

Street workers/street nurses + -

Food distribution + +++

Clothes distribution + ++

Showers, laundry ++ +

Night shelters + -

Longer-term shelters + -

Emergency medical assistance ++ ++

Welfare/unemployment benefits + +++

Social housing (rent allowance) + ++



Exclusion of homeless migrants from low-threshold services

„Finally, it will be the end [of this place], when it turns out that 80% of services goes to the homeless Poles. This service is primarily for Belgians. People now come here [to Belgium] unprepared, they have no work, no place to live. There are dramatic situations, when someone was robbed or mugged (…) but many people don’t want to go back [to Poland], because they have stolen, or killed, or didn’t pay for their children. (…) Service is for the homeless. And primarily for the Belgians. Belgium cannot pay for those who don’t feel like working here. There’s many [Polish] people here who work hard and then it’s OK., if something dramatic happens, we have to help, but you cannot abuse this help.” (Belgian volunteer with Polish background in crisis center, Brussels, 2009.09.09)



Exclusion of homeless migrants from low-threshold services

„Now there is a group of about 15 Poles coming everyday. We gave them sort of a green card for two months, because, honestly, we don’t know what to do with them. Very quickly they learned what to say at the interview, they all answer the same, we are not going anywhere with this. For Norwegians and English-speaking people we have the same rules, we can treat them individually. But for the Polish people we have no rules. We have to treat them as a group, and this is not our policy. Norwegians think that the Polish people are taking THEIR place, they come and they see them, and they say, they take MY café, MY table, MY place” (Blå Kors kontaktsenter, Oslo, 2010.03.01)

28-year old man who doesn’t drink, uses only cannabis, tells how he lived in a basement and had no shower. He went to the Salvation Army to get a shower. But they told him that it’s only for drug addicts. „What am I suppose to do? Go and buy heroin, pump it up my vain, and than I could take a shower?” (Oslo, 2010.05.11)



Conclusions

Brussels Oslo

Resentment towards other groups Fear of exclusion (rumors)Resentment towards Norwegians, ’drug heads’ and ‘Blacks’, critical towards welfare state

Relatively stable groups of Polish rough sleepers in public space

Dynamic situation, short episodes of rough sleeping

Established Informal networks Supposedly less established informal networks

Rough sleeping - milder climate, tolerance for rough sleepers in the public space, accessible emergency night shelters

Rough sleeping – tougher weather, no accessible night shelters; services focused on drug-addicts

Welfare recipients vs. undocumented workers excluded from street-level services

Confusion about rights and what are they entitled to

Poor language and social skills, familiarized marginalization

Temporal construction workers off the books as recruitment pool

Family conflicts, breakup; criminal offences and admitting to failure as causes of not ‘going back’

Alcohol addiction (isolated cases of drug addicts – younger men)

Accepting very poor and insecure housing, couch-surfing at friends’ places



Thank you

Belgian part of this project has been conducted in collaboration with Onderzoeksinstituut voor Arbeid en Samenleving, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Norwegian part of this project has been conducted in collaboration with Norsk institutt for by- og regionforskning

This project was completed with the support granted by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway by means of co-financing from the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism and the

Norwegian Financial Mechanism as part of the Scholarship and Training Fund.

using services for the homeless abroad. polish rough sleepers in brussels and oslo

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