Finding accommodation for Ukrainians who have fled to Ireland is expected to be a “challenge” over the next number of weeks, according to those involved in moving the refugees out of student accommodation.
In some cases, about a third of Ukrainians living in student housing on college campuses have been moved into pledged accommodation, such as vacant homes or spare rooms offered by the public.
With third-level students set to return to college, Minister for Equality and Integration Roderic O’Gorman said that about 1,500 Ukrainian people will have to be moved out of student accommodation this weekend.
The Department of Equality and Integration and local authorities are being supported by several organisations in matching Ukrainians to pledged housing, including the Irish Red Cross, the Peter McVerry Trust and the International Organization for Migration.
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Liz Peña, Peter McVerry Trust director of services, said the “next couple of weeks are going to be a challenge” in relation to finding accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.
The homeless charity was responsible for moving about 300 Ukrainians out of student accommodation at Dublin City University, with places found for 109 of those in pledged housing, she said.
Where pledged housing could not be found, people were accommodated at Ballyogan temporary rest centre in south Dublin or in tents at Gormanstown Army camp, Co Meath.
While the intention was people would only spend a number of days at those sites, some Ukrainians had been sheltered at Gormanstown “probably longer than anyone has intended”, Ms Peña said.
In many areas offers of pledged housing from the public had largely been “used up”, with only a small number of new properties being put forward to take in Ukrainians, she said. “The issue the department faces is the lack of alternative accommodation outside of the pledges,” she said.
Compared with the “firefighting” mode the system was in earlier in the year as large numbers began to arrive, now “all the agencies are working really well together,” she said.
How the State managed the pressure on accommodation for Ukrainian refugees over the coming weeks would depend on the volume of further arrivals, which to date had remained “consistent,” she said.
During the summer there were about 5,000 Ukrainians put up in student accommodation, which officials had begun moving elsewhere as contracts to lease the housing came to an end. At present, there are close to 3,500 Ukrainians in student housing, with 1,500 of those having to move and be accommodated elsewhere over this weekend.
The Department of Equality and Integration was not able to provide an estimate on Friday of how many of the 1,500 Ukrainians due to move out of student accommodation would be housed in pledged accommodation and how many would need to be accommodated in temporary rest centres or tented sites.
