International asylum seekers who were housed at City West due to a cold weather initiative have been informed that they must vacate the premises this morning, and the CEO of the Irish Refugee Council has indicated they will end up homeless, reports Breaking News.
Nick Henderson stated on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that these individuals will essentially return to the streets and will have to sleep rough “to prove and demonstrate their need for accommodation.”
He mentioned that the Refugee Council was aware of the Government’s stance that they required the beds in City West for surge capacity and to provide for women and children, reports Breaking News.
However, he believed there was still capacity within the IPAS system and expressed concern over the weather conditions forecasted for the weekend, which are expected to be quite cold, wet, and windy.
The Refugee Council has inquired with IPAS about whether they have a cold weather initiative in place and has requested a copy of such a policy.
“And then we hope that they would then be given accommodation once that’s done. But we’re extremely concerned both that people are going back out onto the streets, that they’re required to and to demonstrate their needs, putting themselves in a really vulnerable position. And then I suppose also just that the 3000 figure has passed and it’s one year since the no accommodation policy began,” reports Breaking News.
Mr Henderson said the Refugee Council understood that the Government’s position was that they needed the beds in City West for surge capacity and to accommodate women and children.
However, he felt there was capacity in the IPAS system and he was concerned that the weather forecast for the weekend was due to be very cold, wet and windy. The Refugee Council has asked IPAS if they have a cold weather initiative and if they can get a copy of such a policy.
“We presume if the temperature did get back down to what it was two weeks ago, then then they would be accommodated. But this is putting a sticking plaster on a system and an issue that is really, really chronic. We’re reaching rule of law territory and that the government have ultimately ignored three High Court judgments that very clearly state what are the obligations on the government to accommodate people,” reports Breaking News.
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