Latin American Community in London
We are aware that there is a large and growing, but largely hidden, Latin
American (LA) community in London comprising refugees and migrant workers,
with many living in poverty and deprivation. Many are employed as cleaners, in
catering and in other low-paid informal sectors of the economy.
Trust for London and Latin American Women's Rights Service (LAWRS) are working in partnership on research to assess the needs of the Latin American population in London. Following an open-tender process, Queen Mary, University of London was commissioned to undertake the research, under the direction of Dr Cathy McIlwaine, Reader in Human Geography.
Aims
- Build a socio-economic profile of the LA community living and working in London, including an estimate of the size of the LA population in the capital.
- Gain a better understanding of the lives and experiences of LAs in London (particularly women), including more insight into the main needs and concerns of the community.
- Assess the needs of the Latin American population and how far these are (or are not) being met by existing mainstream and community services.
- Identify emerging trends within the LA community in London, especially how young people, including second generation, may have distinct needs.
- Help inform policy makers and others so that they can develop strategies and undertake work to improve services which meet the needs of the LA community.
Objectives
- To provide an estimate of the size of the Latin American population living and working in London. This should provide an approximation of the balance across the most significant nationalities as well as how many were born in or outside the UK.
- To undertake quantitative research which provides an analysis of some key economic and social features of the LA community in London. This should include data on where there are geographical concentrations of the LA population in the capital, occupation, gender, age, income, nationality, length of residence in the UK, knowledge of English language, housing, health and access to services (this list is not exhaustive).
- To undertake new qualitative research to explore the meaning and causes of the quantitative findings including motivations for migration to London, immigration status, economic choices, barriers to accessing services and support, and unmet needs.
- To identify the key unmet needs of the Latin American community in London through analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data collected to compare the needs identified with services accessed.
- Production of a final written report and a key findings summary.
Funding
The budget for the research was £70,000 including VAT and expenses
Timescales
2009 - 2010
Publications
A full research report, a summary and accessible versions in Spanish and Portuguese are due to be published in Autumn 2010.
Trust for London staff: Mubin Haq, supported by Rachael Takens-Milne