Presentation given by Stefano Galliani, Italy, at a FEANTSA Research Conference on "Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in Europe", Pisa, Italy, 2011

1. Homelessness and migration in
Southern European Countries
Stefano Galliani
Sonia Olea Ferreras, Ana Martins,
Vasso Agathidou, Andrè Gachet
(FEANTSA AC Members)
with the support of Mauro Striano
Interdisciplinary
Center 'Sciences
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE for peace’
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in Europe
Pisa, 16th September 2011

2. Policy framework
 Southern European Countries have acquired (often against
respective governments' will) the connotation of “access doors” to
Western Europe
 Entering immigrant flows are in great part out of national laws
(current ones) which are increasingly centered on the refusal of
entry and on a systematization of emergency interventions within
resource management and allocation.
 Irregular immigration is mostly made-up of “overstayers”, which
further proves the failure of concerning migration policies
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe

3. Policies affect cultural
environment
 Local and national policies mostly highlight the risks of new citizens
accessing the national territory
 Policy makers fuel the idea of social conflict, deforming the reality of
facts
 Immigrants are not included in the sphere of social policies
administration but are usually considered to be a competence of the
Interior Bureaus in accordance to a restraining crime code.
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe

4. Failure of EU policies
 A lot of immigrants people use Southern EU Countries as “door” to
Europe but they are going to live in other (Northern) EU Countries
 The European Union does not make any use of its Member States in
order to construct the conditions for an individual life project trough
Europe
 E.g. Asylum seekers
 European Common Asylum System (reception directive)
 Instrument's implementation varies according to Member State and sometimes
corresponding to stricter rules which can:
- push asylum seekers to try and get to other countries
- find themselves with no concrete prospects of an autonomous life.
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe

5. Homeless Service providers and
Immigrants people
 Services are subject to an improper demand by the Authorities when
these fail in providing housing to immigrants with a precarious legal
status (asylum seekers – who by European law should be accommodated in specific
services – and undocumented migrants)
 Services are subject to commissioning, often not recognized or set
back by respective legislations
 services risk to introduce or to be the access point for social
exclusion rather than an instrument to approach rights and
resources
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe

6. Why access point to social
exclusion?
 lack of a sustaining legislation for the undocumented
 lack of a long term policy strategy for documented immigrants
 lack of legislation and clear mandates, services are not provided
with specific resources
⇒ prevents the effective recognition of citizenship rights (including
access to work and housing)
⇒ creates obstacles to the construction of a concrete future for each
immigrant person
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe

7. Possible ways out
 A participated construction of society through social mediation
models (that can bring immigrants to be perceived as an extra value for the
territories)
⇒ work on social cohesion
⇒ collective recognition of “fragility” and “diversity” as a resource
 A fight movement based on the law and able to reaffirm collective
citizenship ties (for all citizens)
 A Immigrants Laws reform: all human beings must have
access to fundamental rights in order to live their dignity.
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe

8. Proposed cooperation between
Homeless sector and Researchers
 Construction of templates for the development of new forms of
citizenship - through training, investigation and evaluation of already
operating projects managed by homeless services sector
 Identification of specific projects for different components of the
immigration phenomenon
1. attention to the differences existing between new arriving immigrants and the
“traditional” homeless services users
2. evaluation of the risks and costs presented by such generalizations/specificities.
 Analysis of (forced) repatriations (non) sense through the
experience of already engaged stakeholders/services
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe

9. Thanks for your listening
Stefano Galliani albpop@tin.it
Ana Martins ana.martins@ami.org.pt
Sonia Olea Ferreras solea.ssgg@caritas.es
Vasso Agathidou agathi@educ.auth.gr
Andrè Gachet gachet.andre@gmail.com
EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Homelessness, Migration and Demographic Change in
Europe