By Adela Suliman
LONDON, April 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Thousands of Europeans who sleep rough on Britain’s streets could be at risk of further deprivation – be it detention or deportation – once the country leaves the European Union and they lose their right to remain.
While Britain’s exact departure date is unclear, charities fear no amount of extra time will help thousands of homeless Europeans prepare the paperwork and complete the procedures needed to stay on legally in the country they now call home.
“Everybody is worried about Brexit,” said Piotr, a 39-year-old Pole who lives on the streets of Northampton in central England.
Piotr moved to Britain 15 years ago but has now slept rough for months since losing his job in a warehouse.
“I want to stay in England, it’s a fantastic country for me and the problem (of having no place to live) at the moment is because I couldn’t find work,” said Piotr, who preferred not to give his full name in a phone interview.
Piotr, whose family is in Poland and Germany, said he was “unhappy” on the streets and wanted to contribute to society.
He told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that many of his friends from Lithuania and Romania had faced extra hostility since Britons voted to leave the EU in 2016 and that his community felt ever more nervous about Brexit.
Although he had the proof of identity papers that many other homeless lacked, he still feared deportation.
“I want to stay legal in England.”
