EU citizens living in Britain are nearly three times more likely to experience rough sleeping than the general population, according to research from the homelessness charity Crisis. The joint research project, led by Heriot-Watt University and the Institute for Public Policy Research, is the first of its kind to explore the scale, causes and impact of homelessness experienced by people from the European Economic Area (EEA) who have made their home in Britain. It found that job loss was the main reason for Europeans living in Britain ending up homeless. Of all those homeless across Britain, 22,200 are originally from EEA countries – about 9% of the total. EEA citizens in Britain have been disproportionately affected by job losses over the last 18 months, according to the research. In March 2020, before the pandemic, 25% of homeless EEA nationals were unemployed. This figure jumped to 52% in the winter. For those recently experiencing rough sleeping, about half cited job loss and financial difficulties as a cause. For homeless Europeans who were in employment, insecure and exploitative work was a common problem, with 28% of people forced to put up with unacceptable employment conditions such as working without a contract and having an abusive employer. Many were paid below the minimum wage or were not paid at all. For those with recent experience of homelessness, nearly half had no income, with t87% living below the standard poverty line. Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of Crisis, said: “This research shines a light on the fact this foundation just isn’t there for many people who have made Britain their home. It’s unacceptable people originally from other European countries are experiencing homelessness here and aren’t able to access the system of support when something like a job loss or a health problem hits. “They want to contribute to their communities and given the shortage of workers in some industries right now, enabling people to do so will not only make a difference to our country, but will also make a difference to these individuals and make sure they can leave homelessness behind for good.” The research also identified specific barriers to support including rules limiting access and entitlement to housing and welfare support. Crisis is urging the government to provide a package of emergency accommodation and specialist employment support. The researchers said an estimated £32m funding for long-term specialist support for EEA nationals living in Britain and experiencing rough sleeping was needed. The charity is also calling on government to stand by its commitment to end rough sleeping for all by 2024. One EU rough sleeper who took part in the research said: “I worked for a person for seven months and that’s where I slept and received food. However, I didn’t get any money. I didn’t get the money after seven months of work. So that’s why I was basically forced to live on the street … it was very hard.”