Title: Homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic: homeless migrants in a global crisis
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Sociological research on homelessness has found that there is no straightforward explanation for why people become homeless but that it is a convergence of many factors, including lack of affordable housing, economic restructuring, drug and alcohol addition, mental illness, unemployment, disabilities and health problems, lack of social capital and social ties, rapid urban growth, and changes in the labour market (Shlay and Rossi, 1992; Borchard, 2005, 2011; Ravenhill, 2008). Each individual case is often a complex mixture of the above factors and 'these factors may interact to multiply the effects of each to the extent that it becomes impossible for many people to acquire and maintain permanent housing' (Shlay and Rossi, 1992, p. 145). With a view to better understanding the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the homeless, this project will pursue the following objectives: 1) We will examine the biographical/life history narratives of St Mungo's clients in order to gain a better understanding of the impact of the coronavirus on their experiences of homelessness. 2) We will examine the views of stakeholders in the homeless charity sector on the responses of the UK Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government and the Greater London Authority in dealing with the issue of homelessness during the coronavirus crisis. 3) Working with two migrant services within St Mungo's - Street Legal, and Routes Home - we will examine the experiences of non-UK migrants as they attempt to resolve their immigration status. We will identify the barriers these vulnerable groups face during the crisis when in need of immigration advice and other forms of support. 4) We will produce policy-driven recommendations to disseminate to our network of stakeholders around the UK (third sector and government) in order to work towards systemic change that will improve the lives of homeless migrants. The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the limitations for many migrant communities experiencing homelessness accessing the care, support and shelter without fear of the consequences. The vulnerability of people experiencing homelessness has increased through cuts to the 'social state' during the recent era of austerity stemming from the financial crisis and the stigmatising of those on the receiving end of the cuts (Bourdieu, 1998, 2003; Tyler, 2020). Moreover, since 2008, 'nearly £1 billion of funding has been cut from support services for homeless people and almost 9,000 hostel and supported housing bed spaces have been cut since 2010' (St Mungo's 2020). Migrants with insecure immigration status are at severe risk of street homelessness. A historical anxiety with accessing state services and fear of removal often prevents migrant clients (who have low trust and high fear of 'officials') accessing appropriate resources. Furthermore, if they are able to move from rough sleeping to shelters, they face the danger of the virus spreading due to overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. At the sharpest end of homelessness, the experiences of migrants with NRPF are particularly vulnerable at this time (Heath, 2020). Complementing current research from organisations such as Groundswell's #HealthNow project, which is investigating the impact the coronavirus is having on people experiencing homelessness more broadly, the proposed research will offer a more focused study of the non-UK migrant experience. Recent research by Crisis (2019) conducted before the pandemic highlighted challenges in accessing immigration advice. The proposed research seeks to respond to and develop on their initial findings and examine the new challenges that are emerging due to the coronavirus.

Lay abstract: People experiencing homelessness are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. Despite government efforts to place rough sleepers in hotels to contain the spread of the disease, many migrants sleeping rough with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) have been left behind at the height of a global pandemic. This project, involving researchers from University of Portsmouth, University of Sussex and St Mungo's, the homeless charity, will produce an 18-month qualitative-based study of migrant homelessness framed by the wider global and national context. Working with two of St Mungo's migrant services, Street Legal, St Mungo's legal team and Routes Home, a service supporting people sleeping rough from outside of the UK, a particular focus of the study will be the experience of non-UK nationals and their attempts, during the crisis, to resolve their immigration status. Many of these migrants are at the sharpest end of homelessness: almost 1,000 rough sleepers housed in emergency accommodation in London have NRPF (Heath, 2020). Most migrant homeless clients are faced with multiple everyday challenges; they experience the hostility and aggression directed toward homeless people, compounded with often intense experiences of racism. Migrant homeless clients are also likely to be afraid of 'authorities' for various reasons including fear of deportation by the Home Office and personal histories of violent persecution by state actors in their original countries of belonging. During the pandemic, increased numbers of police on the streets have created high anxiety for refugees/asylum seekers and destitute migrants who report being retriggered with PTSD symptoms, with no access to NHS mental health services that are now delivered primarily remotely and are restricted access except to those patients who have access to free or cheap wifi, or unlimited phone credit (Munt 2020). A cultural miasma of fear and anxiety due to pandemic can affect such vulnerable minority groups particularly forcefully, with public attitudes generating direct aggression toward perceived 'outsiders' as harbingers of disease. Historically, the discourse of the 'stranger' (Ahmed 1991) or foreigner as bringer of disease has been well recognised within cultural sociology (Munt 2007), and as cultural suspicion grows under such conditions, feelings of alienation and estrangement amongst vulnerable groups intensifies. The project will innovate by examining the biographical and life history narratives of St Mungo's clients in London in relation to their experiences of homelessness during the coronavirus crisis. Alongside semi-structured interviews, we will use participatory research methods including peer research, autoethnographic diaries, mobile phone photo-ethnographies and life history narratives in order to capture the rich and emotive narratives of those experiencing crisis. In doing so, we will examine the intersection of personal histories, complex global processes and the dynamics of the particular situation (Stewart, 2012, 2013). Researching vulnerable groups requires ethical sensitivity. It carries the danger of risking more disappointment among the respondents and exacerbating intense feelings of loneliness and isolation. To avoid this, and to make a positive intervention, we will seek to engage clients with services and support as part of the research project. Based on its findings, and working with St Mungo's partners, the project will make recommendations for measures that can be taken across the UK and elsewhere to support the homeless, particularly those most vulnerable, during times of crisis.

Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE;INFECTION