Homeless Immigrants Research Articles

Homeless immigrants ineligible for social welfare benefits: identification of sub-groups and their characteristics

ABSTRACT Although the number of immigrants stemming from EU countries increased within the last decade, they are widely excluded from social welfare benefits, also from the relevant support systems in case of homelessness. As a result, the daily concerns of homeless immigrants are largely unknown and studies understanding their situation are very scarce. The present study analysed data of homeless immigrants who turned to the only Upper Austrian donation-funded NGO that serves them within a period of one year. In total, 135 different persons visited this NGO and 88 persons agreed that their data can be used for further analyses. The vast majority of these 88 persons were EU citizens (97%), male (65%) and Romanian citizens (64%). They came to this NGO to ask for basic support, followed by support in finding regular work, and the storage of their personal belongings. Subgroup analyses showed that homeless immigrants are a heterogeneous group which need different services in the professional support processes of social work. Based on the empirical findings, this paper gives structured recommendations for social work practice with homeless immigrants.

Strategies for improving access to primary care services for homeless immigrants in England: a Delphi study.

The aim of the study was to identify the most prioritized strategies in improving access to primary care services (PCS) for homeless immigrants. The issue of improving access to PCS for homeless immigrants is a complex and multifaceted one, and yet there is limited research on the strategies aimed at improving these services. Hence, the need for more studies that directly engage homeless immigrants and service providers in understanding their barriers to accessing PCS and their preferences for improving access to these services. The study used a two round Delphi method to elicit the views of stakeholders. The Delphi process utilized a web-based questionnaire. The stakeholders included healthcare providers and voluntary sector providers. The first round had a total of 58 items belonging to 14 categories. The second round comprised a total of 25 items belonging to 12 categories which were preselected based on participants' ranking of their importance in the first round. Participants were required to rank the relative importance of all the items on a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analysed using the STATA-15 software package. A total of 12 stakeholders participated in both rounds of the Delphi survey. The top three strategies encompassed fighting against discrimination and prejudice, improving and promoting mental health services, and empowering homeless immigrants. These evidence-based strategies hold the potential to support the implementation of healthcare interventions aimed at improving access to PCS and healthcare outcomes for homeless immigrants. However, it is crucial to conduct further research that includes homeless immigrants in the Delphi study to gain insights into the strategies that are most important to them in enhancing access to PCS, as they are the primary target users. Such research will contribute to the development of comprehensive and effective interventions tailored to the specific needs of homeless.

Immigrant women living homeless in Madrid (Spain).

Homeless people are one of the most obvious embodiments of the phenomenon of social exclusion, and homeless immigrants and homeless women are considered 2 particularly vulnerable groups. The objective of this article is to analyze the differences between women living homeless born in Spain (nonimmigrants) and those born abroad (immigrants). The study was carried out based on the data obtained from a sample of women living homeless in Madrid (Spain; N = 136). The information was collected using a structured interview. The results show major similarities between immigrant and nonimmigrant homeless women in terms of their basic sociodemographic characteristics (age, marital status, number of children), their state of health, satisfaction with their family and/or partner relationships, and feelings of loneliness or abandonment. Fewer immigrant women had their documentation in order, they received fewer financial benefits and their contact with their family of origin was more limited. However, the immigrant women became homeless at an older age and were subject to less chronic homelessness, their levels of consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances were lower, they had experienced fewer stressful life events, more of them had completed higher education, and more of them used mobile telephones and the Internet. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Living conditions, diet and lifestyle of Asian and African undocumented immigrants in Athens, Greece

Abstract Aim To study the living conditions, diet and lifestyle of undocumented migrants of Asian and African origin living in Athens, Greece. Methods An exploratory study involving a snowball sample of 200 participants who completed a questionnaire survey administered by hand at a non-governmental day-care facility for homeless immigrants in Central Athens. Response rate 60 % (120 / 200 surveys returned). Results Participants were mainly male (96%), aged 20-40 years (84%) and unmarried (61%) with secondary school education (33%). Participants were from different countries of South Asia (81.7%), Middle East (5%) and Africa (11.5%). 26 % of participants arrived in Greece in the last 12 months and travelled on average for 52 days (median 30 days) from their home countries to Greece. The majority of participants (69%) were without a White Card (formerly the Pink Card) for asylum applicants. Their living conditions included homeless / on streets (13%) and living in a shared house (82%) or basement (13%). Participants had access to a kitchen (77%), toilet (77%), water (76%), electricity (78%), heating (53%), refrigerator (76%), TV (68%), computer (43%) and car (7%). Dietary intake and habits revealed that 86% of participants had normal to very good appetite, 52% ate two meals a day and 38% ate breakfast daily but 35% (n = 42) did not eat any breakfast the whole week. The diet included chicken meat (83%), red meat (63%), eggs (60%), white bread (79%), wholemeal bread (33%), rice or noodles (79%), potatoes (74%), vegetables (77%), fresh fruit (66%), dry fruits and pulses (50%) and dairy products (65%). Lifestyle wise, 59% of participants were non-smokers, 13% took recreational drugs and 77% did not allocate any time for daily exercise. Conclusions Undocumented migrants from Asian and African countries take perilous journeys to Europe for a better life but they have very poor social and economic status, which negates the main reasons of leaving their home countries. Key messages Undocumented migrants from Asian and African countries take perilous journeys for a better life in Europe. Undocumented migrants have a very poor social and economic status in Greece.

Differentiating specific health needs of recent homeless immigrants: moving forward from an integrated approach to placate the “healthy immigrant effect”

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021.

The Justification of Harsh Treatment of Homeless Romanian Migrants in Sweden

Even though government and local officials in Sweden declare concern for the human rights of the homeless immigrants from Eastern Europe, many of which have a Roma decent, some of the these EU citizens fail to receive basic protection such as shelter and access to water and sanitation. The paper questions the influence that the unease toward unwanted migration has on the authorities’ actions for human rights law enforcement. By looking at official statements of the government and local authorities, as well as at data gathered through interviewing social workers, the paper analyses the strategies used for legitimization of the harsh measures taken by the authorities and that infringe upon the universal rights of migrants.

Homelessness and immigrants: In front of the border between Spain and France

IntroductionIn 2006, prior to the worldwide economic crisis which especially affected Western countries, Southern Spain was one of the illegal immigrant gateways from Africa into Europe. The aim of this study is to establish the rate of homeless immigrants in a cohort of 2006 and carry out a follow up until 2015 in order to explore the chronicity associated to the territory.MethodsSample: 949 persons experiencing homelessness in Girona, according to official records. Procedure: prospective longitudinal study of the total population of homeless people in Girona. In 2006, a list was made of all the homeless people detected by both specialised and nonspecialised teams, which have been followed until the present day. Instruments: data bases of different official teams. Statistical analysis: measures of central tendency and dispersion and contingency tables were used for the comparison of qualitative variables.ResultsOverall, 64.8% of the population of Girona are immigrants (n = 614), principally from the Maghreb, (χ2 = 36.9, df = 4, P < .001) and 333 (36.3%) are autochthonous. The percentage of homeless immigrants in relation to the total immigrant population was 4.4%. Comparing the homeless autochthonous population with the total of the autochthonous population, homelessness among autochthonous population was 0.4%.ConclusionsThe results suggest that homelessness was more incidental in the immigrant group than in the autochthonous group. The percentage of immigrants who still live in homeless conditions suggests that immigration is a risk factor in the chronicity of the problem.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Substance use and psychological distress is related with accommodation status among homeless immigrants.

Immigrant homelessness constitutes a cruel expression of social exclusion. We analyzed the relation of sociodemographic characteristics with stressful life events, substance use and psychological distress, giving a special importance to the influence of the time spent on the streets and the accommodation status of 107 homeless immigrants. To this end, both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were combined. Discussion groups with care resources practitioners and service users, were followed by in depth interviews combined with psychometric questionnaires. Results show clear interrelations between stressful life events, alcohol and drug use, psychological distress, and the duration of (current) homelessness. This information, and especially the contextualization which took place within the analytical framework of this project, may provide practitioners and policymakers with information that can help overcome barriers preventing homeless immigrants' full citizenship and social participation. (PsycINFO Database Record

The health of homeless immigrants

Background:This study examined the association between immigrant status and current health in a representative sample of 1189 homeless people in Toronto, Canada.Methods:Multivariate regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship...

Negotiating Strangerhood: Interviews with Homeless Immigrants in Copenhagen

The results from a study on homeless immigrants in Copenhagen are analysed in this article. Based on 25 life-history interviews with male immigrants living in institutions for the homeless, my focus of concern is the interviewees' self-presentations and their attempts to handle their stigmatized position. Two theoretical approaches are combined. First, the narratives are analysed as representations of the immigrants' marginalized status in their new society. Many narratives echo Bauman's (1991) descriptions of the stranger as someone constructed as a `permanent other'; someone discredited, blamed and discriminated against because he/she `threatens the natural order of things'. Second, the narratives are analysed as presentations, i.e. as the narrators' preferred interpretations of their present and past situations (Scott and Lyman, 1968). The narratives are therefore read not just as reflections of `things that actually happened' to the interviewees, but also as reflections of their strategies in handling these incidents and of their attempts to present themselves in the interviews as persons `permanently on trial', persons who are `respectable after all'.

Substance Use Patterns among Homeless Migrants and Nonmigrants in Chicago

This paper uses data abstracted from 465 client records randomly selected from the current files of a downtown medical clinic in Chicago, Illinois to examine substance use among 85 immigrant and 380 nonimmigrant homeless and “at-risk” homeless adults. Immigrants to the United States reported lower levels of current cigarette, alcohol, and drug use compared to nonimmigrants in the sample. Immigrants were also less likely to report potential substance user treatment needs. Immigrants, however, did not differ from nonimmigrants in the reported quantity or frequency of cigarette and alcohol use. Drug use among homeless immigrants was also higher than estimates of misuse in the general population. The literally homeless in the sample reported higher levels of substance use compared to “at-risk” homeless. The literally homeless were also more likely to report higher levels of consumption and were more likely to have potential substance user treatment needs. The role of stress in the etiology of substance misuse among homeless immigrants and nonimmigrants is discussed. Implications for the treatment of these diverse populations are also addressed. [Translations are provided in the International s Section of this issue.]

El factor diferencial de la migración en las personas sin hogar

En los últimos años ha crecido el número de personas inmigrantes sin hogar. El artículo muestra las relaciones entre la situación documental y el estrés aculturativo con variables sociodemográficas, apoyo social, abusos de sustancias, sucesos vitales estresantes y malestar emocional en una muestra de 107 personas migrantes sin hogar. Para ello se han realizado entrevistas en profundidad y autoinformes analizando las relaciones entre las variables mediante diversas técnicas de análisis de datos y análisis de contenido. Los resultados manifiestan la importancia de lo cualitativo para la variable «situación documental» que apenas tiene correlaciones con el resto de las variables. También destaca la importancia de los recursos sociales en el estrés aculturativo por encima de otras variables como el choque cultural o la nostalgia por el país de origen.