1. Govanhill and Migration
Dave Zabiega - Govanhill Community
Development Trust

2. Govanhill
• South East Glasgow district, population 15,000
• Scotland’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhood - 40%
• Diversity – 53 languages spoken in 13 housing blocks, limited
integration, difficulties of engagement, community tensions
• Highest population density in Scotland – crowded,
overcrowded and pressure on local environment
• Deprivation – unemployment, low income, poor educational
attainment, poor health, addictions problems, crime
• Anti-social behaviour – often perceptions, not reality
• Poor media representation – ‘Govanhell’
• Vibrancy, colour, noise, energy!

3. Govanhill and Migration
• Historically, Glasgow and Scotland’s arrival point for migrants
– proximity to the city centre and local industry, responsive
community, voluntary sector
• large housing units, many properties for rent, poor regulation
of private housing
• ‘Waves’ of migration – Highland/Lowland Scots, Irish, Jewish,
Italians, Lithuanians, South Asians, refugees and asylum
seekers, East/Central European
• Similar patterns and experiences of ‘integration’...typically a
50 year process for major migrant groups

4. Recent Migration
• EU Expansion 2004, 2007 – new waves of migration,
predominantly Roma people.
• 2004: Slovakian, Czech Roma
– Mainly villages and small towns in Eastern Slovakia,
predominantly Pavlovce, Michalovce
– Polish migrants
– Students and professionals
• 2007: Romanian Roma
– Bihar province, Arad city – (Belfast link)

5. Migration Pattern

6. Local Migration Dynamics
• Migrating to poverty
• Churn within migrant populations – constant turnover,
particularly Slovakian
• Internal movement within the UK – very quick response to
opportunities
• Importance of social capital
• Dynamics of home/social media
• Roma dynamics

7. Govanhill challenges
• High population density – overcrowding, noise, traffic,
spillover into streets
• Environmental issues – dumping, poor quality greenspace,
no care or maintenance, infestation
• low % owner occupation and huge number of landlords
(around 2,000) –– plus bad practice – substandard housing,
overcrowding, high rents, illegal evictions
• Lack of understanding of how to manage property, use
facilities, engage with agencies, high costs
• Racism and neighbourhood tensions
• Apathy and misunderstanding

8. Meeting the challenge
• Glasgow Roma Network - Partnership of NGOs, City Council,
local Health and Education departments
– Local Roma action plan addressing Education,
Employability, Health & Social Care and Housing
– European partnerships – Roma Net, Eurocities, Roma
Matrix , Open Society Foundations
– Technical Assistance funding – mapping, awareness
raising, media campaign
• Patchwork of local voluntary sector activity to support Roma
• Dedicated resources in local schools and health facilities
• Law Centre focusing on migrant/housing issues

9. Glasgow and Employability
Partnership Projects between NGOs and city government
• Roma Employability Project
• Backcourts Environmental Employability Project
• Environmental Training Programmes
• Clean Green Team
• Roma Facilitators Project
• Developing language and literacy capacity
• Volunteering , social enterprise and personal development
projects

10. The Future
• Continued partnership working at local and European level
• Responding to the growth in Romanian Roma numbers
• Continuing to meet local challenges
• Funding issues – need to build sustainable capacity to meet
local needs
• Opportunities through new European funding - 2014

11. Kiitos - Thank You!
David Zabiega
Sustainable Communities Coordinator
Govanhill Community Development Trust
Govanhill Housing Association
Samaritan House, 79 Coplaw Street, Glasgow, G42 7JG, Scotland
E-mail: dzabiega@govanhillha.org
Tel: +44 141 636 3665
Mob: +44 7970 050820