The new government are said to be under major pressure to find new accommodation for Ukrainians living in Ireland.
A Fianna Fail insider said “don’t worry, Ukrainians will not be on the streets of Ireland, we’ll find them accommodation somewhere”.
It appears as though the government have no idea how to handle accommodation for Ukrainians living in Ireland.
After informing more than 400 Ukrainian women and children that they would have to vacate the Quality Hotel in Redbarn in Youghal, County Cork, by February 7th of next year, the Department of Integration has temporarily halted their evacuation, reports Breaking News.
James O’Connor, the local Fianna Fáil TD, has praised the lifeline provided to the hotel’s Ukrainian residents.
“I will continue to raise this issue but I welcome this morning’s news. Since this issue was first raised with me, I have been in constant communication with the government and civil servants in the Department of Integration to fight for the Ukrainian families to remain at Redbarn in light of the enormous disruption this would cause for both the Ukrainians and the wider Youghal community,” reports Breaking News.
While their children are enrolled in nearby schools, many of the Ukrainian women who reside at the hotel have found employment in the neighbourhood.
The principal of Bunscoil Mhuire in Youghal, Eoghan Rua O’Neill, has previously said that a large number of the kids that live at the Quality Hotel go to his school. He had referred to the circumstances as “inhumane,” reports Breaking News.
Mila Rylushkin, the mother of eight-year-old Alisa and thirteen-year-old Daniil, claimed that the kids in the Quality Hotel were “feeling lost” as “life as they know it” was in Redbarn.
Mila stated that her kids were quite concerned about the incident on Cork’s 96FM’s Opinion Line.
“To find new friends, to start a new school — if there even are places — it is terrifying for the small souls,” reports Breaking News.
It is known that the hotel provider in Youghal wants to switch the use of the accommodations from housing Ukrainians to housing candidates for international protection.
Accommodations for applicants for foreign protection are becoming more and more necessary, according to the Department of Integration, reports Breaking News.
The Department of Integration said in a statement last week that it is still working as part of a “whole of Government” response to the violence in Ukraine, with an emphasis on giving those escaping the conflict access to emergency temporary housing.
“This supports Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) to make longer term independent arrangements if they decide to remain in Ireland for the duration of the Temporary Protection Directive,” reports Breaking News.
The Department is carrying voids in commercial contracts as the demand for accommodations for BOTPs declines and they arrange for accommodations on their own.
In order to guarantee value for money and better portfolio management, the Department often terminates contracts, reports Breaking News.
In 2024, more than 400 emergency accommodation contracts came to an end. In certain circumstances, the providers started these contracts in order to return to the private sector or to provide their accommodations for other purposes.
At the same time, there is a growing demand for accommodations for applicants for international protection, and there are severe shortages; in 2024, more than 3,000 persons will not receive an offer of housing, reports Breaking News.
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