Ukrainian refugees to be moved from Aviva Stadium as 7,000 more expected in August

People have been sleeping on camp beds and using the Aviva Stadium’s catering and toilet facilities since July 22. File picture: Brendan Moran

More than 100 Ukrainian refugees that were accommodated in the Aviva Stadium for the past week are to be moved to alternative living quarters across the country today, as the Government expects 7,000 more refugees to arrive before the end of August.

People have been sleeping on camp beds and using the stadium’s catering and toilet facilities since July 22, after an offer was made by the country's main soccer and rugby associations to help house refugees coming to Ireland amid the ongoing accommodation shortages.

A Department of Integration spokesperson said the Aviva was used as a short-term measure and as part of an emergency plan to accommodate people fleeing Ukraine.

Since the Russian invasion in February, just under 43,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Ireland. Around three-quarters of arrivals have been given accommodation by the Government.  Authorities have forecast that 50,000 will have arrived by the end of August.

As well as the Aviva Stadium, centres such as Citywest campus and the Gormanstown military camp in Meath have been used to house people. Citywest is being used as a registration hub before people move onto different locations.

It’s understood that the old terminal building at Dublin Airport, which had been used to temporarily accommodate around 1,800 people, will also be stood down today. At its maximum capacity, there were around 160 people staying in the building before being moved on.

The State is also facing the pressing issue of student accommodation, which has been given to refugees in recent weeks and will soon be required by colleges again for returning students. 

Challenges

At Cabinet earlier this week, Minister Roderic O’Gorman asked the Government to note the significant ongoing challenges facing his department in sourcing accommodation given the high volume of arrivals. He said it presented enormous operational, logistical and cost challenges.

So far, around 2,700 Ukrainians are living in accommodation provided by members of the public, in the form of vacant buildings that were offered up, or shared accommodation with families.

€400 monthly payment

Earlier this week, the Government said that a €400 monthly payment for those hosting Ukrainian refugees had opened for applications, with the first payments to be given on Tuesday, August 9.

The Government agreed in May to introduce the monthly payment to hosts per property where Ukrainians are living, in recognition of the higher cost of bills during a cost-of-living crisis.

The payment may be backdated to March 4 and will be available until the end of March next year.

“Offers of accommodation from the general public are appreciated and they greatly assist with the challenge of sourcing suitable accommodation for some 40,000 people who have arrived here,” Mr O’Gorman said.