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Foreword It gives me great pleasure to write the foreword for this report. I recall the many barriers we experienced when the Chinese Welfare Association (CWA) lobbied for the first ever sheltered housing scheme for a minority ethnic community some ten years ago. It was so different this time, which I believe reflects the growing diversity in Northern Ireland. I wish to commend the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) for its swift and positive response to the request from the Chinese community in Derry/ Londonderry to establish a scheme for supported housing by conducting this needs assessment. The partnership between the NIHE and the CWA, I hope, was enriching for both organisations. The fact that four local bilingual interviewers were trained and supported by the NIHE over the whole process of the research ensures that skills developed within the community will continue to benefit the community after the research is completed. The findings clearly demonstrated a demand for supported accommodation and I have no doubt that this scheme will be as successful as the one built in Belfast to benefit many older Chinese people and their families. Anna Lo, MBE, MLA 4
1. Background to the Research 1.1 Introduction The Chinese community is the largest settled minority ethnic group in Northern Ireland (approximately 8,000 people) 1 . Since the early 1960s, Chinese people have been settling in Northern Ireland, mostly from Hong Kong, but in recent years there have been significant numbers of new immigrants from mainland China, including documented workers, students, asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. In Derry/Londonderry and surrounding areas, there are 32 registered Chinese restaurants and takeaways. It is estimated that there are more than 1,000 Chinese people living in the North West of the province. The settled Chinese population is into its second or even third generation. They have been born and brought up in Northern Ireland, are generally well integrated and work outside the Chinese community in different types of employment. The Chinese community has made significant economic and cultural contributions to Northern Ireland. However, the majority of first generation Chinese people (approximately 85%) do not speak English and consequently have difficulty accessing public information and services. The language difficulties also prevent many from integrating into the wider community, which can lead to social isolation. Some 95% of first generation Chinese people are engaged in the Chinese catering trade, working long and unsociable hours. Racism is also a problem experienced by many Chinese people. 1 www.cwa-ni.org 5
Page 1 and 2: Home from Home Older Chinese People
Page 3 and 4: Home from Home Older Chinese People
Page 5: Contents Foreword 4 1. Background t
Page 9 and 10: schemes in England and Wales for ol
Page 11 and 12: Due to the nature of the survey, th
Page 13: 2. Executive Summary 2.1 Profile of
Page 16 and 17: • The majority of older responden
Page 18 and 19: 16 The majority (78%) of HRPs had b
Page 20 and 21: 3.2 Employment Status of HRP More t
Page 22 and 23: Small family represented the larges
Page 24: Figure 3: Age of Household Members
Page 27: 4.0 Current Accommodation 4.1 Tenur
Page 30 and 31: 28 Around one in three respondents
Page 32 and 33: 30 Half of older respondents (17) s
Page 34 and 35: their GP or consultant and a small
Page 36 and 37: The majority of older respondents (
Page 38 and 39: In order to live safely and comfort
Page 40: 38 Almost three-quarters of older r
Page 43 and 44: 7. Conclusions and Recommendations
Page 46 and 47: 44 The majority of respondents (79%
Page 48 and 49: 46 Appendices
Page 50 and 51: The HRP is the household member who
Page 52 and 53: Table 3: Employment status (Househo
Page 54 and 55: Table 7: Competency in Spoken Engli
Page 56 and 57:
Table 11: Household Types Definitio
Page 58 and 59:
Table 14: Tenure Number Percentage
Page 60 and 61:
Table 18: Overall satisfaction with
Page 62 and 63:
Table 21: Household members who hav
Page 64 and 65:
Table 23: Do you suffer from any of
Page 66 and 67:
Table 27: What mode of transport do
Page 68 and 69:
Table 29: Do you or any older membe
Page 70 and 71:
Table 32: If you or any older membe
Page 72 and 73:
Table 34: How important do you cons
Page 74 and 75:
Table 37: What type of accommodatio
Page 79:
www.nihe.gov.uk November 2007 CS/21
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