Government scrambling to find accommodation for asylum seekers

620 international protection applicants are being accommodated in tents, according to the latest official figures

The Government has promised to engage with homeless charities as it expects to run out of accommodation for asylum seekers this week.

Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman said that while no asylum seekers were turned away at the weekend, the Government is now set to prioritise accommodating women and children.

“It is likely though that in the next number of days, we won’t be in a position to accommodate everybody seeking international protection here,” Mr O’Gorman said.

“As has been the case in the past, we’ll always look to accommodate families so it will probably be male applicants without families who will be left unaccommodated.” 

Mr O’Gorman said that if this does happen, the Government will provide those who are not offered accommodation “additional resources”.

He said that the current allowances for asylum seekers without accommodation would need to be increased.

At present, any international protection applicant is entitled to a weekly payment of €38.80.

The Integration Minister also said the Government would be engaging with both homelessness services and the Gardaí if asylum seekers are identified as sleeping rough.

“We will take steps at that stage in terms of providing them with some additional resources and we will also take steps to target those who are vulnerable in terms of potentially sleeping rough.

“We’re working on those at the moment and when we are in a position, an extremely regrettable position, that we aren’t accommodating everybody, we’ll make those contingency measures clear.”

In recent days, officials at the Department of Integration have been scrambling to secure additional accommodation for asylum seekers.

It comes as the number of asylum seekers sleeping in tents has increased significantly.

As of last Sunday, there are now 620 international protection applicants being accommodated in tents, a rise of 183 compared to a week prior.

The latest figures from the Department of Integration show that there are now 26,092 people living in State-provided accommodation, which includes both emergency and tented accommodation.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) also warned the Government on Friday that if it fails to provide accommodation to asylum seekers, it will be in breach of the law.

Sinéad Gibney, chief commissioner at IHREC, said a refusal of accommodation by the State will put asylum seekers in danger.

“International protection applicants, who may have experienced persecution, trauma, or destitution prior to arriving in Ireland, are among the most vulnerable members of our society," she said.

“Any refusal of shelter by the State puts these individuals at high risk on the streets, particularly in the context of increased activity by those wishing to foment anti-immigrant sentiment.” 

The Irish Refugee Council has also criticised the shortfall in accommodation, saying it is completely unacceptable that a country with the wealth and resources of Ireland cannot accommodate the numbers of people seeking protection over the last 18 months.

In total, Ireland is accommodating approximately 100,000 refugees and asylum seekers, with the vast majority, 74,000, coming from Ukraine.