More than 200 Ukrainian refugees have received letters from the Department of Children and Integration for the second time in three weeks, instructing them to leave their current accommodation, reports RTE.
Last month, parents residing in student housing in Dublin city center had requested an extension until the summer so their children could complete the academic year at their current schools.
The department temporarily paused the relocation for three weeks, but new letters were issued yesterday, informing residents that they must vacate by tomorrow, reports RTE.
The letters stated that, due to the high number of people seeking accommodation in Ireland, specific requests regarding location or type of housing could not be accommodated.
Inna Matvey and her husband were informed that they would be moved to an equestrian center in Co Kildare, while their two children, aged 11 and five, would be relocated to Swords, Co Dublin.
“We are completely down, we don’t understand what’s going on,” she said, reports RTE.
Dublin City Community Cooperative, which has been supporting the refugees, suggested that the apparent separation of children from their parents was likely an administrative mistake.
The Department of Children and Integration has since confirmed that this was “an administrative error and will be corrected,” reports RTE.
The letters emphasized to parents with children under 18 that they remain fully responsible for their children in shared accommodations.
“We always try to ensure your health and well-being,” it states, reports RTE.
While most of the refugees have been assigned accommodation in Co Kildare, a few have been informed that they will be relocated to Swords and Bray, Co Wicklow.
The company managing the student housing has also issued instructions for residents to clear their rooms and bathrooms, take out the trash, and remove all personal belongings.
They have been asked to clean the kitchen, including the oven, stove, microwave, and refrigerator, as well as wash and store all dishes, utensils, and cookware. Additionally, they must vacuum and mop the floors, reports RTE.
“You must vacate the complex completely by 7pm on Friday 14th March,” the notice concludes, reports RTE.
Noel Wardick, CEO of Dublin City Community Cooperative, described the situation as “hugely traumatic, extremely callous, cruel and inhumane.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he criticized the system as “kneejerk and chaotic.”
“We’re putting out one fire to sort out a problem and then creating a whole series of other fires in doing so,” he said, reports RTE.
“Here we are on St Patrick’s Day bank holiday weekend… céad mÃle fáilte, welcome to Ireland, and we’re uprooting women and children and really putting them under huge distress, making mistakes with administrative errors, splitting up families. I’m not saying there’s not challenges with accommodation—the State has difficulties in trying to manage the situation—but we’ve a long history in this country and part of it is very, very bleak in relation to the treatment of disadvantaged women and children in particular,” reports RTE.
Mr. Wardick noted that the families have a “real desire” to be independent rather than reliant on state support.
He added that of the 200 people facing relocation, 77 are employed and may still be able to commute, but the children’s education will be disrupted, reports RTE.
A spokesperson for Minister Norma Foley, whose department remains responsible for integration until it transitions to the Department of Justice, stated that the relocation of Ukrainian refugees from state-contracted accommodation “has been temporarily paused in cases where this is contractually possible,” reports RTE.
Further details will be provided to residents and accommodation providers as soon as possible, the spokesperson added.
In the case of the student housing in question, the provider had informed the department that the premises must be vacated due to scheduled repair and renovation work, reports RTE.
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