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Homeless migrants to be taken back
Council handed coach tickets and interpreters cash for Eastern European rough sleepers
HUNDREDS of Eastern European migrants sleeping rough in the West End will be repatriated after the council announced it has been awarded funding to carry out the programme.
Westminster has been given £270,000 from central government to pay for coach tickets, interpreters and specialist police officers to help tackle the problem which is entrenched among migrant rough sleepers who are not entitled to benefits.
Since 2005 the council has received grants from the Communities Department to give around 600 people a one-way £50 coach ticket home – a rate of 20 a month.
Although the figures are shaky, it is estimated that there are around 1,000 homeless people from Eastern and Central Europe sleeping on the streets – many of whom struggled to find work during the influx that followed the expansion of the European Union in 2004 and 2007.
Charities say the economic downturn has exacerbated their plight, with many driven onto the streets because they are not eligible for benefits that pay for welfare services and hostel places. Language difficulties and a lack of assistance from embassies and consulates have also contributed to the large numbers of mainly Polish people sleeping rough.
Councillor Philippa Roe, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “Of the thousands of people from Eastern Europe that come to the UK every year, the majority find jobs and accommodation. However, a small minority arrive in Westminster with little money and no contacts and can end up sleeping rough.
“At present, long-term solutions for the council and the organisations it works with are limited as this group of rough sleepers don’t have recourse to public funds.
“Many of these individuals unfortunately remain on the streets and get into a revolving door lifestyle in and out of prison or hospital.
“We have a duty to assist vulnerable people and are pleased to have received this funding, which will not only benefit these rough sleepers but also the wider community.”
In 2010/11 the council has been allocated a provisional £365,000 which, if secured, would help fund short-stay beds at the Passage Hostel in Victoria. |
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