(EOC) MW 06
Equality of Opportunity Committee
Inquiry into issues effecting Migrant Workers
Response fromCommunity Housing
Community Housing Cymru (CHC) is the representative body for the voluntary housing movement in Wales including Housing Associations and Community Housing Mutuals which are all not-for-profit organisations and will be, by the end of 2007, providing around 95,000 homes and housing services across Wales. They employ 4,000 people and spend over £200m in the Welsh economy annually. They are also active in community regeneration in some of Wales’s most deprived communities. CHC aims to enable members to work effectively and flourish in Wales by:
Positively promoting housing associations as non-statutory, non-profit, ethical providers of affordable housing, support and community regeneration services
Seeking to develop a political, regulatory and financial framework that supports housing association activities
Developing, supporting and disseminating good practice
Encouraging and enabling members to provide accessible homes in sustainable communities throughout Wales
Working in partnership with key bodies in Wales
CHC members are engaging in innovative practice and initiatives to encourage community cohesion and improve the lives of migrant workers and their families such as:
Staging global village events
Working with key stakeholders in 'Ethnic Diversity in Housing Groups’
Having BME Strategies and working with partners to ensure such strategies are relevant
Carrying out research into the lack of BME contractors in the sector
Organising classes/events within communities for families to share experience and social time
Working to meet the Welsh Assembly Government’s BME Action Plan
Organising cultural/sporting events designed to break down barriers between migrant families and the local population
The bullet points below relate to the following topics as set out in the terms of reference for the inquiry:
Experiences of migrant workers and their families
The impact of economic migration on local communities
The regulatory framework
Examples of good practice
Suggestions
Demand - For housing providers in Wales one major challenge facing them is consistent regardless of whether the population are migrant workers or not - that is meeting demand. With 80,000 people on waiting lists in Wales (Shelter Cymru), the average Welsh house price at £144,895 (Land Registry) and fewer affordable homes being built, housing providers will continue to have difficulties meeting housing demand. With limited resources, service providers in education, social welfare and other areas will continue to face challenges in providing for migrant workers and local populations.
Resources - CHC members need greater funding and resources to enable them to cater for all people within communities, including migrant workers. CHC welcomes the £28.5m investment allocated from the Welsh Assembly Government and the target for 6,500 affordable homes. The review of regulation of Housing Associations will hopefully allow Housing Associations the freedom to increase funding for community regeneration and housing investment. Providing more homes will hopefully ease the pressure on housing and related services and bring benefits to migrant workers and the entire population effected by the current housing climate.
Communication - Housing Providers in areas with high proportions of migrant workers must continue to make provisions for the special circumstances they may face such as language issues. Everyone needs to be able to access services that are provided and a number of CHC members are working hard to ensure services are available for a wide range of language needs. Eg. Signing up to Language Line, providing information in a variety of languages.
Community Cohesion - CHC members make use of clear Tenant Participation Strategies that can allow communities and the people who live in them to learn about one another and develop community relations. It is vital that action is taken to deal with racism that migrant workers can face in the workplace and within communities and CHC members are working hard to tackle this issue with community and employment based solutions.
Skills - CHC members are working to improve the skill level of tenants. As part of the inclusion agenda housing associations support and run a range of capacity building projects. These include decoration of communal areas in sheltered schemes by young people participating in NVQs, training in basic skills, IT, stress management, behaviour management, First Aid, self defence classes. There is a need to establish the skills available in the Migrant population to ensure that those who are skilled are offered the opportunity to work and those who require training can also access such training.
Building Communities - Housing Associations are continuing to develop ways to create more inclusive community developments and work with all people within a community to ensure that developments are sustainable and cohesive and create viable, strong communities.
Migrant workers who live in the private sector may in some cases be exposed to exploitation, overcrowding and poor standards in some cases and this will have a detrimental effect on the experience they have in living in Wales. However this may be anecdotal in many cases and requires further quantifying. 'Hot-bedding’ may also be an issue where migrant workers are living together in houses.
Education and diversity - It is vital that CHC members can continue to raise awareness of diversity and celebrate the contribution and importance of different ethnic groups. Investment in Housing providers is not simply investment in 'bricks and mortar’ - it is an investment in social enterprises who are in a unique position within communities to provide services and support to the whole community and who can adapt to the needs of the people within those communities. RCT Homes, the UK’s first housing Community Mutual Trust, has taken over running of 10,000 former council-owned properties and this model will further allow tenants to control the organisation and development of communities within the area.
Research - There is a need for focused and continued research to establish hard evidence regarding the experiences of migrant workers so policy at government and provider level can adapt and be targeted to ensure people are well looked after and provided with the services and support they require. This applies to the Legislative framework also to ensure providers receive the support they need and migrant worker families are protected and supported.
More research is required to establish where migrant workers are residing. Migrant workers are present in both rural and urban areas and providers of services in all areas must be aware of the situation in their locality so they can make effective policy decisions and deal with the reality of the situation.
Community Housing Cymru
January 2008
