Up to 800 volunteer Irish families asked to confirm if they want to host asylum seekers

Up to 800 Irish families, community groups, and organisations that have offered to accommodate and help migrants will be asked again if they want to host asylum seekers, following the Paris attacks.

A decision to clarify with Irish volunteers whether they will still take in migrants fleeing war-torn regions comes as a special taskforce is set to decide on planned emergency shelters in the coming days.

The Irish Examiner has also learnt the first 20 to 30 Syrian refugees will be resettled in Ireland over the coming weeks. Ireland has committed to taking in 4,000 migrants over two years, as part of an EU programme which will see a total 160,000 migrants settled across member states.

While up to 800 groups and individuals have offered accommodation, services, and support for families arriving here, the Irish Red Cross has taken a decision to re-evaluate those offers. This comes in the wake of the Paris atrocities and concern that volunteering hosts may have changed their minds.

“This is a recheck on the pledges made, to see if they’re valid, to examine properties now and meet people who would be prepared to be hosts in the long term,” said a senior source involved with the plan.

“People may be concerned after Paris, but they will see the winter camps [for the migrants] on TV and realise those families are facing harsh winter conditions.”

The Red Cross will advertise in the coming days about the need to again consult with volunteers.

While the former Hazel Hotel in Monasterevin, Co Kildare has already been identified as an emergency shelter or orientation centre for arriving migrants, other large premises will be decided shortly. Many are thought to be former hotels.

The Irish Refugee Protection Programme Taskforce, including government ministers working on the blueprint for resettling migrants, will meet on Wednesday week when emergency centres are expected to be approved and an update on the plan discussed.

Meanwhile, the Child and Family Agency Tusla said it was arranging enrolment in schools for the hundreds of children that could be arriving. CEO Gordon Jeyes, also a member of the taskforce, said: “The inclusion of Tusla on the taskforce recognises the particular needs of the families who will be arriving in Ireland under the refugee programme.

“The families will need support in integrating into local communities, getting school placements and adjusting to everyday life after the traumas they have experienced.”