The unprecedented upsurge in immigration, unemployment and homelessness in the UK has reached a critical point, and Cameron's new austerity measures manifest many British people's dismay. Among the colossal number of homeless UK residents, the most numerous groups are the Polish, with other Eastern European nationals ranking infamously just behind them. The huge proportions of the phenomenon create unfavourable images of the immigrants as dumb lazy drunks counting on a lifetime of benefits, often ending up on the street. With the governments controversial immigration and homelessness prevention policies on the one hand, and the acceptance of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU on the other, many try to imagine the possible future of the UK population.

Homeless immigrants

The reason which the British commonly attribute to homelessness is immigration. Undeniably, the vast majority of all the homeless in Britain are, indeed, badly qualified unemployed Eastern Europeans who speak little or no English. Natives of India, Bangladesh and Pakistani, and asylum seekers or refugees from the Eastern African countries are another substantial group of the roofless population of the Isles. Among them, women and children can be considered as a separate category due to their exceptionally hazardous situation caused by the high risk of sexual harassment. While on the whole, unemployment is the major cause of the immigrants' losing homes, in case of women, their predicament often stems from conflicts with their partners or families.

The reasons behind homelessness

But being jobless or exiled from home are only some of the causes of the problem. Although blaming the economical crisis for the mass homelessness in the UK would be a stretch of truth, it is mainly owing to the state of the market that housing prices rise, rendering many unable to afford proper living conditions and being subject to evictions. The same result is caused by cuts of housing and unemployment benefits. Last but not least, the immigrants' unwillingness to return to their home countries cannot but exacerbate the situation.

Home or a place to sleep?

What is frequently overlooked, is the fact that homelessness may occur in disguise which suggests that the numbers of the homeless are really larger than any statistics show. Rough sleeping are the most common manifestation of homelessness. However, there exist other, hidden, forms of this phenomenon, such as couch surfing, B&B accommodation or sqautting, the latter of which is illegal. To curb the leniency with which squatters used to be treated so far, recently, the anti-sqatting procedures have been executed more stringently by the government.

Homecoming? Easier said than done

A lot of British people believe that rather than lead a miserable existence of a homeless person, those with nowhere to live or work should simply return to their countries. Simple as that may seem, the reasons behind the contrary tendency are complex. Many unqualified jobless immigrants cannot afford a ticket home. In such situation, a way out is to request the government for deportation. However, this option is often out of question since some of the immigrants are pursued by the state for their criminal records. Others refuse to go back to their homelands, which are troubled by conflicts or poverty-stricken and where no better fate awaits them. Some of them, who had come to the UK hoping for a better future, are simply broken and ashamed to go back. These individuals seek for opportunities to emigrate to yet different countries, usually by illegal means.

The need for solutions

As far as the British people's attitude to the issue is concerned, homelessness remains a problem inextricably linked with immigration. An average British person, considering mass influx of more and more qualified workers as a threat to their own position on the national market, finds David Cameron's stricter policy reasonable. On the other hand, some of the restrictions, such as the liquidation of housing benefits for the newly arrived, may lead to an increase in rough sleeping or hidden homelessness rather than function as a deterrent. Those who do not support Cameron's reform suggest that more resources should be invested in both reactive and proactive actions concerning the homeless at place, for example providing more affordable housing.

Returning to the question of the future, the homeless population of Great Britain does not seem to await a transforming change. The inflow of immigrants may be hindered by the new government's stance, but the dilemma remains as to how to deal with the people living on the streets now. The problem of homelessness affects the British eurozone policy and limits chances for the European citizens to settle down in the UK and be treated in an unprejudiced way by the British people.