To great fanfare, the Irish government and media announced an heroic and successful effort by the Irish community to host Ukrainian refugees for free in their own homes and vacant holiday homes.
Just weeks in to the euphoria, the Irish Times reports that almost 3,000 offers of vacant accommodation for Ukrainian refugees have either been withdrawn or the property owner involved could not be contacted to make arrangements to take up the pledge.
Approximately 12 per cent of the 24,411 pledges made through the Irish Red Cross have dropped out so far. 589 offers have been officially withdrawn, whilst 2,367 hosts have not been contactable despite as many as three attempted calls, including in the evenings and at weekends.
Meanwhile, the FFG coalition government are planning to build 35,000 houses to accommodate 200,000 Ukrainian refugees. These new builds on Irelands public lands may be used to house asylum seekers and refugees on a continual basis and not just for the current Ukrainian commitment.
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