Territorial Review Copenhagen - Region Hovedstaden

175
high-risk areas where more than 40% of the workforce are unemployed have
also been stopped. The agreement makes it possible for poor families to
obtain housing in neighbourhoods with a more balanced makeup. 32 Though
these guidelines should be praised, the City of Copenhagen nonetheless
lacks a system of monitoring the integration of immigrants into housing.
Given the lack of an evidence base, it is difficult to systematically point to
best practices in the Copenhagen metropolitan region. Moreover,
municipalities in the Copenhagen metro region could more pro-actively fund
housing organisations for refugees and immigrants that play a valuable role
in meeting specific local needs and tackling social issues in more flexible
ways than local authorities are able to achieve. The United Kingdom‘s
Department for Communities and Local Government offers several models
that may have traction in Copenhagen (Box 2.8).
Box 2.8. Refugees and social housing provision in the United
Kingdom
Government in the United Kingdom often supports initiatives run by
independent, charitable organisations that play a valuable role in meeting needs
of refugees and immigrant groups. For example, Leeds Canopy Housing Project
includes direct involvement by refugee/migrant groups in developing housing
solutions as an alternative to the private rented sector. The project acquires and
renovates properties for refugee families in the Beeston area of Leeds, which has
a lot of vacant property and a growing population of refugees. Volunteers from
disadvantaged backgrounds are working alongside refugees to refurbish
properties. The skills gained can be used to secure permanent employment in the
housing construction industry. The Leeds Canopy Housing Project is another
project independent of government funded at least in part by the Housing
Corporation and local authorities. The Department for Communities and Local
Government (CLG) is not directly involved in funding the scheme but has an
interest in collating and disseminating learning and best practices from such
projects (Metropolitan Support Trust, 2008).
The ―Opening Doors‖ initiative tests practical ways of meeting the housing
needs of newly arrived migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers.
Directed by the Housing Associations' Charitable Trust and the Chartered
Institute for Housing, the project receives funding from the Housing Corporation
and the CLG. It features a review of reports, surveys and local projects and
training modules. As a sponsor, the CLG is taking a close interest in the
monitoring and evaluation of its work to ensure optimal implementation
(Housing Associations' Charitable Trust, 2008).
Source: ―New Migrants in England and Their Needs‖, Metropolitan Support Trust