Ireland places more than 2,500 Ukrainian refugees with 2,500 more to be accommodated

Minister for Children and Integration, Roderic O’Gorman, said that demand for hotel rooms during St Patrick’s week had complicated the situation

Ukrainian refugees pick up donated food and hygiene and baby-care products at the Warsaw Centralna train station, in Poland, on Wednesday. Overall, more than three million refugees have fled Ukraine, the UN said, Photo: AP/Czarek Sokolowski

Ireland has placed more than 2,500 Ukrainian refugees in temporary accommodation in the last month, with a contract now signed by the Government for 2,500 additional hotel rooms.

A statement issued by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said that the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) has placed 2,589 people in temporary accommodation since the outbreak of the war.

“IPAS will continue to ramp up operations to ensure that this increased demand can be met,” it said.

The statement added that in recent days, IPAS has contracted more than 2,500 hotel rooms, with additional capacity also being pursued through:

• Hotels, guest houses and B&Bs 
• Accommodation pledged by the general public
• State-owned or private properties which may be suitable for short-term accommodation
• Religious properties 
• Local authority facilities

“IPAS will continue its work to source accommodation over the coming days, working to address pressures on the system as effectively as possible, but there will be a significant challenge in the coming days due to the high occupancy rate during the bank holiday weekend.” 

20,000 pledges with Irish Red Cross

Almost 20,000 pledges for accommodation and other supports have been registered with the Irish Red Cross (IRC), the department said and these homes will begin to accommodate Ukrainians in this accommodation in the coming days.

This will focus initially on vacant homes that have been pledged.

“While the Department sees this accommodation as a key part of the crisis response, it is vital that checks are carried out to ensure the appropriateness of the accommodation and the safety of all involved. It is intended that the pledged accommodation will be drawn from over the coming weeks and the Department, along with the IRC, is working hard to expedite this as a matter of urgency.

“The Department is working to source accommodation as quickly as possible while also considering all safety issues. 

At all times, the safety and security of displaced Ukrainians must be ensured.

Minister for Children and Integration, Roderic O’Gorman, said that the St Patrick’s week demands on hotel rooms had complicated the situation, but said that in the previous five days his department has commissioned a level of accommodation which would ordinarily be procured over five months.

“The outpouring of solidarity and support from the public in making pledges of accommodation has been incredible. I want to again thank those who have made these pledges and pay tribute to the volunteers and staff at the Irish Red Cross for their hard work on this system.

“We are now taking the next steps of vetting and approving this accommodation so that it can be utilised as soon as possible. This process will be expedited as much as possible, but it is vital that we build these checks into our system to ensure the safety of all involved.

“Given the high rates of hotel occupancy for St Patrick’s Day and the bank holiday weekend, alongside increasing numbers fleeing Ukraine, we are expecting significant pressure on accommodation in the coming days. The Department is working through these challenges with colleagues across Government.”