Evidence from research and development work in Bradford

Aims

The report summarises findings from eight research projects, two of which explored the experiences of recent migrants to Bradford. All the projects featured in the report form part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s ten year programme to improve life in Bradford.

Methodology

Two projects specifically focussed on the experiences of recent migrants to the city:

• The 'Holme Wood Development Project’ looked at the experiences of a small group of migrants from African countries who had moved to a traditionally white social housing estate.
• The ‘Making a New Life Project’ looked at the settlement of Eastern European migrants throughout the city.

As the report is merely summarising the projects, there is very little information regarding the methodology used. However, the summary does include one case study detailing the experiences of a Polish entrepreneur in his early thirties.

Key issues

The report summarises the key findings of each of the projects:

• The Holme Wood Development Project highlighted the isolation felt by some new migrants to the area and how these new migrants were often victims of anti-social behaviour, mainly from youngsters, as they were seen to be easy targets as they were unwilling to report such incidences in case it further alienated them from the community.
• The Making a New Life Project looked specifically at Eastern European migrants. It highlights the main drivers for migration and explains how immigration and the settling in process is made easier by the presence of extended family members and others from the same originating communities who help with such things as finding a job and somewhere to live. The project also looked at the relationship between the new arrivals and the more established Eastern European migrants.

Conclusions

• The Holme Wood Development Project found that early intervention and support from relevant agencies was crucial in helping to limit the feelings of isolation, detachment and resentment felt by new migrants who often had no contacts in the area when they arrived.
• The Making a New Life Project found that support networks were already in place for new Eastern European migrants and therefore they found it easier to settle in and integrate themselves into the community – although it was found that there was some tension between new arrivals from Eastern Europe and those that had settled in the area in the 1940s and 1950s and their descendants.

Further information on the two projects included within the report can be found on the JRF website.