Racism, Immigration and Welfare Benefits
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058903600403 |
| Date | 01 December 1989 |
| Published date | 01 December 1989 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
155
Racism,
Immigration
and
Welfare
Benefits
David
Stephenson
of
the
Birmingham
Homeless
Offender
Unit
considers
the
racist
impact
of
recent
legislation
and
suggests
how
the
Service
could
inspire
more
confidence
in
black
clients
by
determined
and
well-informed
advocacy.
he
Social
Security
Act
1986,
introduced
in
April
1988,
has
push-
ed
many
claim-
ants
even
further
into
the
poverty
trap.
Whilst
the
new
legislation
has
led
to
a
lower
standard
of
living
for
claimants
generally,
cer-
tain
groups
have
been
particularly
hard-hit.
Before
the
changes
in
regula-
tions
were
implemented,
the
Commit-
tee
for
Non-Racist
Benefits
argued
that:
’All
claimants
will
suffer,
but
black
and
refugee
claimants
will
face
the
added
effects
of
direct
and
indirect
discrimination
encouraged
by
the
very
nature
of
this
scheme’.
Current
research
into
the
impact
of
the
new
Act
will
reveal
whether
this
prediction
is
borne
out
in
practice
-
including
the
ACOP
and
NAPO
survey
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