KOMPASSET independent guidance for homeless migrants

Transcription

1 On January 7 th 2015, Kirkens Korshær s KOMPASSET, had been counselling homeless migrants in Copenhagen for 2 years. The present document provides an overview of who, how many and why migrants have used Kompasset s services in these 2 years 1. Kompasset was opened by Kirkens Korshær as a response to the growing number of homeless migrants coming in the homeless services in Copenhagen, looking for advice on their rights and duties in Denmark. Kompasset s purpose is to provide accurate advice to the migrants, leaving them capable of making informed decisions about their future. We seek to prevent further deterioration in their living situation and relieve in the struggle to navigate through the Danish system. Kompasset is run by two full time employees and approx. 25 qualified volunteer counselors speaking a total of 15 languages. The counseling service is open 3 days a week for advice seekers. We offer: Advice and counselling on all subjects relevant to the homeless migrants Job search and CVs Referrals to relevant partners and authorities Accompaniment (to authorities, bank etc). Computer/internet facilities copy machine etc. Locker storage Postal address service (c/o address in Kompasset) Coffee and tea 1 The numbers are based on a filing system where each user is registered with simple data: first name, nationality, age, gender and language. Each user inquiry is registered according to the nature of the inquiry and the type of help that Kompasset has offered. The user can choose to be anonymous. In that case, inquiries are registered under the same user name: Anonymous. The system is used by approximately 25 different people so that registration is never completely consistent. Considerations must be taken therefore for any faulty registration and inaccuracies.

2 A total of 958 people have used Kompasset s services in the course of the last 2 years 2. The influx of new, different users remains fairly constant over the year when the first few months of starting up Kompasset are taken into consideration. As shown in the below table, the number of new users has been stable between 90 and 150 pr. quarter. Influx has increased in the spring time, probably due to the warmer weather and therefore better opportunities for seasonal work, bottle collecting and rough sleeping. A decline is seen as the weather turns colder and some travel home or to other places. 2 The number of different users has been calculated by the number of registration cards. Currently, there are 958 registration cards, i.e. at least 958 different people have been in contact with Kompasset. Those users who have wished to remain anonymous, or who because of other reasons have not given their permission to be registered, do not figure in the statistics. Therefore, registration of the number of different users is incomplete, even though the individual inquiries are registered. There have been 482 anonymous inquiries during the entire period, but we do not know how many different users that number covers.

3 5338 inquiries in total were made to Kompasset during the last 2 years. As it can be observed in the table below, we have seen a steady increase in the number of inquiries. The increase in the number of inquiries is far greater than the increase in the number of new users, meaning that many of the same users visit Kompasset more times. Most come regularly during a couple of weeks or months, then settle, travel on or go home. Almost none of the users from the 1st quarter continue to use Kompasset today. In the past 2 years, 5338 inquiries were made to Kompasset by 958 different migrants (without having counted the number of users that prefer to remain anonymous). Often several topics have occurred in the same visit. Therefore, the total number of registered topics is greater than the total number of inquiries. As well, some of the users have contacted us several times regarding the same issue. The table below provides an overview of some of the problems homeless migrants are facing in Copenhagen and below is a description of each subject and how we assist.

4 Topic of inquiry (% of all 5338 inquiries) Job opportunities/rights (EU-citizens) % General counseling about Denmark % Help with registration in Denmark (EU-citizens) % Job opportunities/rights (Non EU citizens) 240 4% Help to contact authorities 223 4% Crime victim/ complaints about and/or harassment by 158 3% police Help with return trip 229 4% Opening a bank account 129 2% Help finding housing 122 2% Lost ID documents 95 2% Exploitation/labor violations 84 1,5 % Health 52 1% Use of Kompasset s facilities % Other 457 9% Some categories have been adjusted during the 2 years. Most users of Kompasset s services are EU-citizens, who came to Denmark to look for work. As members of the EU, they have the right to work in Denmark without seeking further permits. The ground rule 3 is that EU citizens can freely travel (without having to fulfill visa requirements) and live in another EU country for up to 3 months without registration and for up to 6 months if the person is a job seeker. However, many employers seem unwilling to hire EU-citizens, who are not yet registered in Denmark (with CPR number/yellow card). This leaves the migrants in a vicious circle where they cannot register before they have a job and they cannot get a job before they have a yellow card. In our experience this circle is one of the major reasons why migrants become and stay homeless. Some employers might also take advantage of the situation and exploit the vulnerable migrants, by e.g. making them work black or for free as an intern. In situations like this, there is little Kompasset can do, as the migrant cannot register for a tax number or bank account without a work contract and therefore we cannot do much to help him get what the employer owes him. However, if the migrant wants to file a case, we refer him to legal aid organizations, anti-human-trafficking organizations or the unions. (Exploitation/labor violations). 3 According to the Free Movement of Citizens Directive 2004/38/EC

5 We also help make CVs and send job applications. Such help is given when the person doesn t know the informal rules of the job market and applying for jobs in Denmark. Each country has its own practices and more or less general rules of what to write in a CV, which structure to have, what should the cover letter contain. E.g. in Denmark, the CV often starts with a profile description of the person in 4-5 lines, and it is highly appreciated to specify the hobbies and free-time activities to give the prospective employer an impression of the personality. Kompasset has assisted in creating CVs 412 times. Once on the streets many contact Kompasset to inquire about how to survive; where to sleep, eat, shower, get clothing etc. For this purpose, Kompasset keeps an updated list of services in Copenhagen that accepts all homeless regardless of Danish registration/yellow card. Others approach us to get information on education options. Those who get a job come to Kompasset to get help with the registration process. In principle this process should go easy, however in reality it might take months. Kompasset assists throughout this quite exhausting process. When the migrant has a work contract we start by applying for a tax number. The waiting time is 3-6 weeks during which time the migrant most often cannot get his salary, and thereby cannot afford to rent a place to live or cover other living expenses. It seems that the tax authorities are obliged to send the tax number to the person s registered address (if he has any) and thereby it is often sent to the home country /e.g. Spain, Italy, Romania), prolonging the waiting time. It is not possible to change the address at the tax authorities before the person is registered at an official address in Denmark (folkeregisteradresse) - which again requires money to rent a place to live. Then comes the issue of opening a bank account which is also necessary to get the salary. To get a bank account it is required to show 2 different documents with the same address of the person. A challenge for the homeless. We try to address this problem by providing a c/o address in e.g. Kompasset, however this same address must then appear on both the work contract and the tax card. If the address on the tax card is the one from the home country, the migrant must provide second proof, e.g. an ID card or the like, with the exact same address. Waiting time with tax registration and problems with opening a bank account mean that, in general, migrants remain homeless at least the first 2-3 months of working. Holding on to a job without getting paid, while still in the homeless environment is extremely difficult. It entails competing for the limited resources with regard to food, shelter, shower etc. while trying to keep up a normal façade with regard to the workplace. We are impressed by the willpower of those of our clients who make it. At the same time, we help apply for EU-residence certificate, which is not a residence permit, but a document that merely affirms the right to reside in Denmark for more than 3 months. To get this document, the work contract must be for at least 3 months and for at least working hours pr. week. If the contract is for a job in a sector where fraud and black work regularly occurs, or any irregularities e.g. payment on work performance and not working

6 hours appear in the contract, the residence certificate may not be granted before the migrant can provide 3 months of pay slips to prove that it is actual and legal work. Once the migrant has the EU-residence certificate, the tax card and bank account (to get his salary) then he can start looking for an actual place to live. Kompasset assists in the search for rooms to rent. Often, the deposit to rent a room is substantial (three times the monthly rent) and some landlords do not allow tenant to register officially at the address. However, if he is permitted to register officially, he can then go with the EU residence certificate and rental contract and apply for a yellow card (sundhedskort). As described above, migrants encounter a number of barriers in the registration process. These barriers are not impossible to overcome, but it takes a lot of patience and hard work. Some of Kompasset s clients give up half way in frustration. In our experience, these barriers are major factors keeping migrants in homelessness. About 1/3 of Kompasset s clients are Non-EU citizens, most of them with citizenship from West African countries, but with residence permits from Spain or Italy. Most of them have worked there for years, but traveled North because of the economic crisis. Due to Denmark s legal reservations regarding working rights, they cannot use their residence permits from other EU countries to work here, but must apply for Danish work and residence permit. However, with the current requirements to get these, it is out of reach for our clients. Most of them are not aware of this when they come here and Kompasset delivers the tough message. Then, in our experience, they sooner or later travel to other countries or back to southern Europe. Less and less Non-EU citizens come here to get advice on their rights, especially as compared to the first year. It is our impression that the non EU-citizens meet up in shelters and tell each other about the lack of labor rights for this group. So the information spreads this way, instead of through Kompasset only. In connection to job search, registration, lost ID etc. migrants approach Kompasset to get help to contact authorities. Some of them have tried themselves first but, unfortunately, without success. And therefore, within the help they can get, we accompany them to different institutions. So far, in these two years, our users have been accompanied 135 times. In fact, we get many inquiries about this from migrants who are not homeless or in the risk of homelessness, and thus not in Kompasset s target group, meaning that migrants in general have difficulties communicating with the authorities. Migrants also come to Kompasset to get help returning home. We collaborate with Copenhagen Homeless Unit, which, in special cases can provide financial assistance for the trip and contact authorities in the home country. We also collaborate with other private organizations to finance tickets if the migrant is unable to pay himself by e.g. recycling bottles.

7 An increasing number of migrants ask for help to book and purchase travel tickets, using Kompasset s credit card, and paying us in cash. We have witnessed an unfortunate development in the relationship between homeless migrants and the police. An increasing number of migrants approach us with complains regarding the police: they are getting fined for sleeping rough, get their sleeping bags confiscated, EU citizens get fines for not being able to prove that they are job-seekers and therefore residing legally (but nothing seems to be done except for the fine). More serious cases include detention for several days on seemingly groundless accusations and police violence. These cases occur specially in the summer time. Kompasset is assisting in complaining, filing for compensation and referring to lawyers. Many homeless migrants lose their passport or ID card on the streets. Either they get stolen, lost in other ways or removed together with hidden luggage by the public street cleaners. Losing the ID can have devastating consequences for the dream of finding a job and furthermore create problems when encountering the police. To prevent this, Kompasset offers storage of personal documents for those who are not obliged to carry those (EU-citizens) and copies for the rest (non EU citizens). If they do lose their documents, we assist in contacting the police and the appropriate embassy for reissuing. However, not all embassies issue new passports and some migrants have to travel home to get a new one. E.g. in order to renew your passport at the Romanian Embassy in Copenhagen, one must provide the national ID card (together with birth certificate, marriage/divorce certificate in original). If the national ID has been stolen/lost as well, the person will only be able to get a travel document solely for the purpose to travel back to Romania to renew the national ID. Many homeless migrants encounter health problems and when they are not registered they only have access for emergency assistance in the public health system. For non-emergency health issues we refer migrants to the Red Cross health clinic and we also collaborate with an outreach team of psychiatric nurses. As shown in the table, many of our clients also use Kompasset s facilities and don t necessarily get counseling from the staff every time they come here. They might come just to use the computers to search for jobs and keep in touch with friends and family online. They use our lockers for storage, they receive mail, they print CVs, have coffee and take a break from the streets. Finally, the category Other include inquiries regarding many other issues, such as enrolling unregistered children to school.

8 Nationality group Percentage of all users (958) EU/EEA-citizens in total % Non EU/EEA citizen with residency in another EU country % Non EU/EEA citizen without residency in another EU 50 5 % country Nationality not registered 22 2 % Total % The table shows that 67% of Kompasset s users are EU citizens. The majority come from Romania, Spain, Bulgaria and Poland. 26 % are Non-EU citizens with residency in another EU country, usually Spain or Italy. They are citizens of the West African countries Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Gambia and Morocco. From 2013 to 2014 there has been a decrease in both numbers and percentage of Non EU/EEA citizens approaching Kompasset. As mentioned this might have to do with the fact that information about their lack of labour rights spreads in the homeless environment, and therefore fewer seek advice from us. 5 % are non EU citizens with various residency bases outside of EU. Many of these users are referred to, e.g. Danish Refugee Council or other legal aid services for advice and assistance. Old and new EU countries compared Percentage of all users (958) EU 15 (old EU countries 4 ) % EU 10 (new EU countries 5 ) % Not only people from the new EU countries seek Kompasset s advice although they make up the majority of our users. The financial crisis has prompted nationals from especially Italy and Spain to come here in the search for jobs. Citizenship Percentage 4 Belgium, Denmark, Estonia,Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK. 5 Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania,Slovakia, Slovenia

9 of all users (958) Romanian % Nigerian 97 10% Spanish 80 8% Ghanaian 63 7% Polish 63 7% Bulgarian 49 5% Italian 33 3% Senegalese 25 3% Portuguese 24 3% Moroccan 18 2% Gambian 11 1% Rest in EU/EEA 92 10% Rest outside of EU: 85 8% Nationality not registered 22 2% Total: % The majority of Kompasset s users are Romanian citizens (31%) followed by Nigerians with residence permits mainly from Spain or Italy. Gender Percentage of all users (958) Man % Woman 84 9% Profile for reg. of anonymous inquiries + one transgender 2 person Total % Age groups Percentage of all users (958) % % % % %

10 Registered without age % Total % As shown in the two tables above, 91 % of Kompassets users are men and the vast majority is of working age, which matches with the issues that users contact us with (employment). Inquiries from women are mainly also regarding employment. Almost all the women who have contacted us are from EU countries.