Ill-considered statements about immigration and housing can play into the hands of racists

Last week the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced plans to limit the availability of social housing for non-EU immigrants. We have been led to believe that local English-born citizens are being denied housing because immigrants are ‘jumping the housing waiting list’.

The reality, though, is much different. The Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has reported that just 9% of social lettings were to non-UK born households. Yet in 2011, 13% of the population of England were born overseas. That means immigrants are less likely to secure social housing than the rest of the population.

Most local authorities have local connection policies. It is very unlikely that those new to an area, including those from elsewhere in England, will get social housing. There are no figures showing the number of overseas-born households getting social housing within two years of arriving in England. But according to Inside Housing, anecdotal evidence from social landlords “suggests that the figure is close to zero”.

Yet in spite of the facts, there is a perception that “the indigenous community” is being squeezed out of housing by incomers. There are anecdotes about newly arrived households moving into social housing and, for some in the media, anecdote is more compelling that fact.

But there is some basis for these anecdotes: the illegal sub-letting properties, and the right to buy.

There are believed to be 160,000 social tenancies that are illegally sub-let. Those in most need can include newly arrived households who are exploited and required to pay rents well above those being paid by the social housing tenants to their landlords. It is understandable that neighbours, whose own family members might be on the waiting list, conclude that a newly arrived household have secured social housing when the reality is that they are being exploited, with no rights and paying the highest rents.

One in three properties sold through right to buy are now being let within the private rented sector, yielding rents far in excess of those previously paid to social landlords. (There are clear lessons to be learned here regarding the increasing housing benefit bill). Again neighbours might conclude that their family member has again been disadvantaged, believing that the flat next door has been let through the local authority to newly arrived landlords when it has, in fact, been transferred to the private rented sector.

The only beneficiaries of this situation are those who are exploiting housing need (including those illegally sub-letting social housing) and the far right who seek to ferment racial discord, often in areas with a mix of high cost housing, housing shortage, and large immigrant communities.

I think politicians should be very cautious before they make pronouncements that are not based on facts on an incredibly emotive subject.

The Mayor of Brighton and Hove visits BHT’s Advice Centre

The Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Bill Randall, today visited BHT’s Advice Centre in Queens Road, Brighton.

The Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Cllr Bill Randall, visits BHT’s Brighton Advice Centre

Cllr Randall met staff who provide housing, welfare benefit, debt and immigration advice and representation.  Last year the Advice Centre worked with 3,912 men and women.

In 2011/12, because of the work of the Advice Centre, homelessness was prevented or accommodation found in 1,531 cases.

After the visit, Bill acknowledged that the Advice Centre makes a huge contribution to meeting many of the City Council’s strategic priorities including the prevention of homelessness and rough sleeping, reducing inequality through helping clients out of poverty, and achieving community cohesion through immigration advice helping families achieve stability and live together.

I a statement, he said: “Most distressing is to hear about the trafficked children brought here for domestic service or prostitution. Some are as young as 13. Often these children are referred to as ‘young people’. In reality they are children and need our protection.”

The Advice Centre prevented homelessness in 70% of cases. This represents a huge financial saving for the local authority but more importantly there are fewer people sleeping on the streets and fewer people in temporary accommodation.

The work of BHT’s Advice Centre: preventing homelessness, reducing inequality, community cohesion

This morning I reviewed the impact made by BHT’s Advice Centre in Brighton. Here are some basic statistics. I would ask you to reflect on the difference we make to the City and the consequences should this service close:

• 35% clients belong to a BME group
• 42% clients have either a disability, addiction or suffers from mental or physical ill health
• 55% of housing clients are in “priority need” and so the possible responsibility of the City Council.

Positive Outcomes (expressed as a percent) of Cases Closed during 2011/12

• Housing Advice 88% (This includes homeless prevention, conditions improved, accommodation found, better able to manage affairs)
• Housing court duty 85% (This includes homelessness prevented through stopping a possession order or execution of bailiff’s warrant)
• Accommodation Advice and Assistance 60% (This includes Homelessness prevention, PRS Accommodation found or sustained. These statistics are based on tracking 317 clients over 12 months).
• Welfare Benefits 95% (This includes clients who received increased or backdated benefit, and who are now better abled to manage their affairs)
• Debt 87% (This includes debts negotiated to an affordable plan, client better able to manage debt, debt reduced/written off etc.)
• Immigration 78% (This includes being granted Leave to Remain, refugee status, citizenship, family reunion etc. and includes 63% of appeals won)

Our legal services directly contributes to City strategies on:

• Prevention of homelessness and rough sleeping by reducing the numbers in temporary accommodation.  In 2011/12 homelessness was prevented or accommodation found in 1,531 of cases above. A 70% homelessness prevention rate.
• Reducing Inequality through helping to lift clients out of poverty (often suffering multiple problems, for example mental health, addictions, offenders, street homelessness, anti-social behaviour, poverty)
• Community cohesion through immigration advice helping families achieve stability and live together

Refugee Week: Family Reunion

This week has been Refugee Week.  Each day I have posted a simple account of the work undertaken by BHT’s Immigration Legal Service.  Some have involved clients who have been tortured and persecuted.  Today’s story is a less dramatic account of a family being reunited.  It is not an account that might make the media, but it shows the range of the work this service undertakes, and the importance of a successful outcome for our clients.  I am grateful to all staff in the Immigration Legal Service for their dedicated work, week in, week out, and for providing me with the real life stories that I have posted this week.

A Family Reunion

P and her family are recognised refugees in the UK. P instructed Brighton Housing Trust to assist  her in making an application for her mother who had a serious eye condition to join the family in the UK. The application was refused by the entry clearance officer.

BHT represented her on appeal. There was limited medical evidence from her country of origin, however, BHT was able to obtain a statement from a UK-based eye specialist and succeeded in demonstrating the extent of the macular degeneration and consequences of the illness, which tipped the balance in the client’s favour.

P’s mother is now safely in the UK and being cared for by her family.

Refugee Week: The account of a young Iranian, beaten and imprisoned for demonstrating against the regime

N is an Iranian national and arrived in the UK when he was 16 years old. His family in Iran had a history of opposition to the Iranian regime. His father and uncle were executed when he was a child and his elder brother had also been detained. Prior to leaving Iran, Mr N attended a number of demonstrations against the regime. He was beaten severely by the authorities during the demonstrations and was eventually arrested by Iranian State Security. He was beaten and kept in solitary confinement for 3 months with little food and water and no access to daylight. He was forced to  sign a confession and was then transferred to prison where he spent 20 days before being released. Eventually he fled the country with the help of an uncle.

He claimed asylum in the UK but his case was refused by the Home Office. They did not accept that he was telling the truth about what had happened to him.

Brighton Housing Trust lodged an appeal to the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal and obtained evidence including a report documenting the torture he had suffered in support of his appeal. The judge accepted the evidence and found that Mr N would be at risk of detention and further ill treatment amounting to persecution if he was sent back to Iran.

Mr N’s appeal was allowed and he was found to be a refugee meaning that he will be permitted to remain in the UK and is no longer at risk of suffering further torture and ill treatment.

Refugee and Migrant Justice

The news that Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) has gone into administration is bad news for its staff and more so for the 10,000 men, women and children who depend on its support each year.  In Hastings its seven members of staff support 250 people each year.

The charity’s problems arise from the method of payment by central government that, at best, puts a huge strain on the resources of an organisation, at worst makes an otherwise successful organisation not viable due to cash flow problems.

BHT itself is put under financial strain because of the payment arrangements which, like RMJ, sees us being paid at the end of cases.  At any one time we have £1 million due to us.

I am very pleased that Brighton Pavilion MP, Caroline Lucas, has tabled an early day motion in a bid to save RMJ.  I would call on all MP’s in Sussex to lobby the Ministry for Justice to reform payment arrangements.  If a large multi-national had such poor payment arrangements, arrangements that put charities and small companies out of business, there would be an outcry.  In difficult financial times, the government should ensure that it is doing everything possible to support charities and small businesses.

Refugee Week – amazing services, amazing people, doing amazing work

This is Refugee Week, and today BHT is hosting an event at our head office in London Road, Brighton.  There are representatives from a wide range of organisations including the City Council, Amnesty International, interpreting services, and refugee support groups.

BHT ‘s own services are there, too, including Support4Housing and Threshold (both services offer support to refugees, in the case of Threshold, women refugees and their children).

BHT’s main service working with refugees is the Immigration Legal Service, based at Community Base in Queen’s Road, Brighton.  Until today I wasn’t aware of some aspects of their work, such as 41% of the asylum clients whose cases we took on last year were children.  Most of these children will have come to the UK alone seeking refuge.  Many have spent months on dangerous journeys to get here, and some have been looking after younger siblings while doing so.

There are many reasons why these children have come to the UK.  They may have seen their families killed and their homes burnt down.  They may have been trafficked to be exploited by adults, sexually or in other ways.  They may be fleeing forcible conscription, female genital mutilation or forced marriages.

Others may be at risk of violence or imprisonment because of their ethnicity, their religion or simply because of who their families are.

On average, 43% of our work at the Immigration Legal Service is asylum related.  Last year (2009) we took on 306 new asylum cases.  Of the asylum clients whose cases were ‘closed’ (ie. concluded), 33% were granted refugee status, 52% were allowed to stay in the UK on some other basis (for example, humanitarian grounds), and just 15% had their claims refused.

With most of BHT’s work, the consequences of us not providing a service could lead to homelessness, hardship, even destitution.  The work undertaken by the Immigration Legal Service has more serious consequences.  If this service wasn’t here, those who might be returned to their ‘place of origin’ might be faced with even worse consequences, including death.

For all involved in Refugee Week, my personal thanks, especially to BHT’s staff in the quite exceptional Immigration Legal Service.