The government and refugee NGOs are “leaving no stone unturned” as they seek new places to house Ukrainian refugees who are currently staying in student accommodation on university campuses.
There are currently around 5,000 Ukrainian refugees staying in student accommodation in Ireland but with university students due to return in September, alternative arrangements are needed.
Around 2,200 of these refugees are set to leave campus accommodation by the end of the month, with the rest due to move in mid-September.
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“The situation is quite tough at the moment,” said a spokesperson for the Irish Red Cross. “All organisations, from the Department of Children and Education to the NGOs including the Irish Red Cross are leaving no stone unturned.”
One option for accommodating refugees is the voluntary hosting system, which relies on pledges from the public. One issue with the hosting system is that Garda vetting needs to be done beforehand, which is leading to delays.
A source close to the issue told The Irish Mirror that there have also been issues with some people withdrawing their pledges after changing their minds. Others are reportedly unwilling to take in single adults, particularly men, preferring to host women and children instead.
There is currently a one-day average turnaround in the vetting process, according to a statement from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
“The Department is working closely with An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice, Tusla and the Irish Red Cross on arrangements for vetting,” the department statement read.
The other option the government intends to use is the repurposing of large buildings such as sports halls to accommodate those who have fled the war in Ukraine.
“Accommodation is now of varying standards, which is not what we would wish, and both new arrivals and those who are being moved now will be experiencing a lower standard of accommodation.
“We also continue to explore and put in place alternative emergency accommodation by repurposing large sporting and other facilities to provide shelter,” the department said.
Although the number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland has dropped significantly over the last month or two, the system has come close to being overwhelmed as there are simply not enough places to house those escaping the conflict.
Earlier this summer, the old terminal at Dublin Airport was used temporarily to house refugees as the numbers arriving shot up. That increase was largely attributed to the discouraging effect of the UK government’s ‘Rwanda policy’, whereby refugees arriving in Britain are diverted to Rwanda.
In addition to large public buildings, the government has also been establishing campsites run by the defence forces but that is only a short-term solution.
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