Central and Eastern Europeans

Central & Eastern Europeans - Entitlements
Central and Eastern Europeans - Guidance for organisations
Central and Eastern Europeans - Research and statistics
Central and Eastern Europeans - Directory of services
Reconnection of Central and Eastern Europeans

The majority of migrants from Central and Eastern Europe successfully obtain employment and accommodation in the UK. However, restrictions on entitlements mean that options are very limited for the significant minority who find themselves homeless.

Context

Expansion of the European Union in 2004 and 2007 has led to an increase in migration from Central and Eastern Europe to Britain. The entitlements for nationals of the  A2 (Bulgaria and Romania) countries are complicated, and the restrictions on some entitlements and confusion around these has led to difficulties for those who are out of work and homeless.

Ending of transitional arrangements for A8 nationals - 1 May 2011
On 1 May 2011 the transitional arrangements that had been put in place for nationals of the A8 (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) countries - those that acceeded in 2004 - came to an end. Click here for information on what this means for local authorities and their partners in working with A8 nationals who are rough sleeping. Please note that in November 2011 the transitional arrangements for A2 migrants (Romania & Bulgaria) were extended to 2013.

Research undertaken by Homeless Link in November 2008 showed that 25% of rough sleepers in London were from Central and Eastern Europe.

The need to reduce rough sleeping among migrants is recognised in Action 6 of the Government’s rough sleeping strategy, published in November 2009, No One Left Out: Communities Ending Rough Sleeping.

Solutions

Lots of homelessness services have found solutions to address the main challenges presented by this group. See the Homeless Link good practice report – Sharing Solutions.

Some specific services have been developed to meet additional needs, such as Thames Reach’s London Reconnections Service and CRI’s National Relocation Project.

Further information