Around 400 Ukrainian refugees have been told they have to leave a Dublin hotel after spending the last six months staying there.
The Crowne Plaza in Santry had a six month contract to provide accommodation to the refugees, but those staying there have now been told the contract is not being renewed.
A letter from the International Protection Accommodation Services to residents informed them of the move but did not confirm where they are going. Children who have settled into the local schools and sports teams will also be moved.
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The letter reads: "This accommodation location will soon no longer be available to IPAS as our contract with the hotel is coming to an end. Unfortunately this means that we will need to accommodate you in another location"
IPAS said they will be moved in the "coming weeks" and a second letter will be sent to individuals with the date and location of the move. They added that they will arrange the transport and apologised for "unsettling" the refugees with the move. They wrote: "We know that this move will be unsettling for residents and want to apologise in advance for any disruption this will cause."
Requests to be relocated in specific places will not be accepted due to the "severe pressure" on available IPAS accommodation. The letter continues: "This is because we are simply not able to fulfil these requests, given the overall shortages of accommodation.
"We will be in touch with individual transfer letters which will confirm the new location where you will be accommodated. For those of you who have children of school going age, the resident welfare team in IPAS will provide any assistance your child may need in relation to school places in your new accommodation".
IPAS concluded the letter with a second apology for the "disruption" of the move.
Sinn Fein TD Chris Andrews compared moving the refugees to "rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic".
He said: "We have the likes of Baggott Street Hospital which is falling derelict. There needs to be a genuine effort by Government to address the housing issues for those in long-term homelessness and Ukrainian refugees.
"There is a consistent pattern of failing to plan in advance and prepare. I don't understand the logic in moving people out that are settled in. The children are embedded in the community.
"If there are new people coming in, move them into the places that they were going to be moved to. It is a repeat of what happened in Killarney. It is just another example of being unprepared. It is awful."
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