A key support organization for asylum seekers and refugees in Killarney says it can no longer cope with the demand for its services, such are the numbers that are being put up in the resort town.
The Killarney Chamber of Commerce and Tourism said the first time it hears is when buses pull up to hotel doors with refugees and asylum seekers and the city now has one of the highest per capita rates in the country.
In a joint statement with the Killarney Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, the Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiative (KASI), a 22-year-old NGO supported by the EU, the Justice Department and the HSE, said it had to suspend some of their activities
It has to do with the queues outside its offices in central Killarney and has no extra staff or support.
President Sheila Casey said people line the street waiting to be served, but KASI only has four employees and inadequate office space.
“It’s at breaking point,” Mrs. Casey said, reports RTE.
“We can’t cope with the situation, the health service can’t cope and the schools can’t cope with the huge demand. There appears to have been no consultations between International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) and the agencies on the ground. We are being told nothing. Something is going to snap,” he added, reports RTE.
Due to pressure on KASI services, previous activities such as a women’s group and English classes had to be abandoned.
Some 2,500 refugees and applicants for international protection are estimated to be staying in hotels and pensions in the resort town which has a resident population of 10,363 according to the latest preliminary census data.
Most have arrived in the last few months.
According to the latest figures from the Children’s Department, some 3,741 hotel beds in Kerry are being accommodated for Ukrainian refugees.
In addition, there are several hundred direct supply applicants in Killarney and Tralee.
Wrap-around essential services such as healthcare and daily community and support are stretched thin and the city is struggling to cope with demand, Killarney community leaders warn.
The Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce and KASI require that International Protection Housing Services and other agencies involved “keep Killarney fully briefed on their intentions before any further transfer is even contemplated,” reported RTE.
House Speaker Niall Kelleher said the city was happy to do its part when it agreed to welcome Ukrainian refugees, mainly women and children, fleeing the terror of war, but services were not put in place. subsequent support needed.
The chamber said that while Killarney probably has the highest ratio of refugees and asylum seekers per capita in the entire country, there has been little or no communication from IPAS, government departments or non-governmental organizations tasked with finding suitable housing.
“All too often, the first we hear of developments is when buses pull up outside accommodation centres with people on board,” Kelleher said, RTE reported.
There is growing concern locally that state agencies seeking to house refugees and asylum seekers are simply identifying available beds in Killarney, given its tourist base, but there appears to be little regard for providing the related professional services required, especially the access to medical services. school locations and support systems, he said.
According to RTE, Kelleher said “The lack of access to proper services is not fair on them, it is not fair on the service providers who are under strain and if the current trends continue, it can only lead to a complete systems failure.”
Meanwhile, medical services in the Killarney area are extremely extensive, with most dental appointments and major routine family medical services waiting longer than three weeks.
With the unannounced arrival of 318 direct supply applicants at the 188-bed Killarney Hotel last week, South Doc director Dr Gary Stack said it was time to stop warning that health services were in a phase of collapse.
His practice was able to accommodate 150 Ukrainian refugees earlier this year, when 1,000 Ukrainian refugees were placed in Killarney hotels and staff were shocked and under pressure.
There are also concerns about disruption to the centuries-old tourism industry: a public meeting on Monday night heard how there was little to no accommodation to pr
Separately, Killarney Councilor Niall O’Callaghan, a hotelier, said business was down 40% in bars and restaurants due to a dwindling influx of tourists with refugee-occupied housing and business support is needed.
The Department for Children, Equality and Integration, which deals with housing, said pressure on the state to house more than 58,000 people has currently led to significant shortages, particularly for the international protection cohort.
“All of the limited accommodation capacity within the IPAS system is currently being used, with any remaining applicants being moved to the Citywest Transit hub on a temporary basis” it said, reports RTE.
According to the latest figures from the Children’s Department, approximately 3,741 Ukrainian refugee hotel beds are available for Ukrainian refugees in Kerry.
This is the third highest number after Dublin with 5,081 beds and Donegal with 3,903.
In addition, Kerry is home to several hundred direct supply applicants in hotel accommodation, with approximately six hundred applicants now in Killarney.
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