More than 370 people seeking international protection in Ireland are homeless 

Tents belonging to homeless people in front of a newly constructed office block on Dublin's Grand Canal. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

People fleeing war and persecution who arrive in Ireland and find themselves homeless are travelling across the country in a desperate bid to find shelter.

Some 371 people seeking international protection are now homeless as the State grapples with an unprecedented housing and accommodation crisis and increasing numbers of people seek protection. 

While most of these people are trying to survive on the streets of Dublin, John Lannon, CEO of Doras refugee and migrants rights organisation, said he is aware of some travelling to Limerick seeking shelter.

“There aren’t any options for them. It’s usually a case of looking to the communities here for help. So for an Afghan person, they might turn to somebody in the Afghan community to give them somewhere to rest."

Doras is currently helping Waqas, a teenager from Afghanistan living in direct provision in Limerick. 

Waqas has been travelling between Limerick and Dublin trying to help his older brother, age 20, who has been homeless since he arrived in Ireland from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on February 16.

His health is suffering from living on the streets and Waqas is extremely concerned for his safety.

“He’s not well, he is suffering from exposure to the elements,” Fiona McCaul of Doras, who is helping Waqas and his brother, said.

“His health is deteriorating while being homeless on the streets. And he doesn’t have access to his daily living allowance.” 

Waqas currently has a spare bed in his room in the direct provision centre he is living in and a manager there has agreed that his brother can stay there.

However, Doras said it has not yet heard back from the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) since Doras requested last week that IPAS allow the young man to be transferred there. 

Waqas is concerned that the bed will be taken by someone else unless action is taken soon.

“Hopefully something will come of it,” Ms McCaul said. “The situation is dire and it’s not going away."

Unprecedented situation

Nick Henderson, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, said that the situation is “very bad and unprecedented”. 

“We had more than 200 people contact our service [about homelessness], they’re tired, they’re desperate, they’re very worried. They don’t know what’s happening to them."

"We have spoken to people who are sleeping in train stations or bus stations. Some people have also tried to stay in Mosques, which may increase during Ramadan. And also people trying to befriend strangers and/or go to cafes or restaurants owned by the same nationality as where they’re from.” 

Since March 8, it appears that no male international protection applicants have been offered accommodation by the State, Mr Henderson said.

“When the crisis began in January, people would be homeless when they arrived but would then be offered accommodation two weeks later. But in February and March, those two weeks have turned into three weeks and longer. And now, no one it seems has been offered accommodation since March 8. The system seems to have ground to a stop.” 

Couples are now being asked to separate if they want accommodation, with the woman being offered a bed but the man being left homeless, Mr Henderson said.

“It’s very serious. We say it’s unlawful because Ireland has transposed and brought into Irish law the [EU's] Reception Conditions Directive in 2018. That clearly states that a person who doesn’t have means who is claiming asylum should be given [certain] reception conditions. The State, when in emergency, which it clearly is now, can provide just basic needs that include shelter, food and water, but those basic needs are certainly not being provided.” 

The Irish Refugee Council plans to make a complaint to the European Commission but as the Commission then has 12 months to respond to a complaint, it does not offer any immediate hope of sparking change for people now.

"People are stuck. Whether the Government can find additional accommodation in the coming weeks, I don’t know. But we are concerned that hotels are closing or pivoting back to the tourist trade so it is quite a bleak outlook," Mr Henderson said.

“People are really desperate and we’ve worked with people with serious health issues. People don’t have a medical card and they may not be able to go to A&E.

“We have real concerns about people’s situations. We worry a lot about people’s safety.”