They come seeking work, often to support families, but many Eastern Europeans end up destitute and officially “off the radar”. The Telegraph & Argus recently reported that there could be hundreds of ‘invisible’ Eastern European migrants sleeping rough in Bradford.

Often lured here by false offers of work, they live rough in derelict mills, steel containers and outbuildings.

Earlier this month, an inquest into the death of a Slovakian migrant heard that he had lived for four years in an outside toilet in the Whetley Lane area. Recently a group of migrants set up camp in woodland near Shipley.

Juli Thompson from Inn Churches – which is opening churches overnight to the homeless until the end of next month – says the number of Eastern Europeans approaching the service has doubled since last February.

“Out of 82 people we’ve dealt with over the past 50 days, more than 30 have been Eastern European migrants,” she says. “There are so many people in this dreadful situation, but they’re forgotten about because officially they don’t count.

“They come here to get work, but many have had passports and ID papers stolen, after being coerced into handing them over for a job.”

Under EU law, Eastern Europeans must work continuously for 12 months to achieve the same status as other EU migrants. A break of anything more than 30 days means they have to restart.

Without documents, migrants can’t register to work. And those without ID or not in receipt of benefits are turned away from hostels.

Juli says that for some, pride prevents them returning home. “We have some men in their early 20s who don’t want to go home until they have made some money and can go back in nice clothes,” she says.

“People come here speaking little English, with no knowledge of our society. A lot end up with health problems linked to sleeping rough.”

Following changes to the guidance on measuring the extent of rough sleeping, Bradford Council was asked to submit an estimate for the district to the Government last month.

A Council statement said that agencies working with the homeless were invited to provide information, and the estimate took place over a 24-hour period last November.

Details – name, age, location, recourse to public funds and length of time sleeping rough – were taken and 23 rough sleepers were recorded, of which seven were listed as having no recourse to public funds.

Sarah Possingham, Bradford Council’s access to housing manager, said: “Cold weather provision provides a co-ordinated partnership – the Council, Bradford City Centre Project, Incommunities, Inn Churches, Nightstop, Hope Housing and other non-statutory agencies – to offer accommodation and support on nights forecast to be zero degrees or below to people sleeping rough in the district.

“The scheme offers follow-up support, with the aim of starting to address their needs in relation to obtaining accommodation and support. The scheme is available to anyone sleeping rough, including those who have no recourse to public funds.”

With rough sleepers including people living in squats and outbuildings, Juli Thompson says the extent could be much wider. “People we deal with talk of others they know living in squats and bedsits,” she says. “It’s a very complex issue; these are individuals with different problems and needs. There’s no single solution, but a lot of agencies in Bradford are involved in supporting them in various ways.”

Helena Danielczuk, the daughter of Polish refugees, works for Bradford’s Sharing Voices, helping migrant communities integrate. She has come across many migrants lured by scams and says professional people are among those ending up “off the radar”.

“With no work, no money, no benefits and no recourse for public funds, they have no choice but to live rough,” says Helena. “They can’t work legally, so end up being exploited and working illegally, only getting paid if they’re lucky.

“People go on about Eastern Europeans taking jobs, but they’re being exploited by employers paying the minimum. They get away with it because migrants are desperate to work.”

John Tempest, who runs Bradford Soup Run, has also seen an increase in Eastern Europeans wanting food.

“They come here to do the best they can to work, but too late they realise Market Street isn’t paved with gold and the end of the rainbow isn’t in Centenary Square,” he says.

“Often they have been waved off by their families to send money back home. Some can’t face the shame of returning, so they stay here in squalor.”