Alison O'Connor: Promises of céad míle fáilte no substitute for warm, safe homes

Our response to host Ukrainians was not entirely grounded in reality in a country already experiencing an acute accommodation crisis

Ukrainian refugee Nikolaj sleeping on the floor at Dublin Airport as refugee accommodation crisis worsens.

When Russian president Vladimir Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, Irish people couldn’t have been faster in issuing a heartfelt céad míle fáilte to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. Back then we were told up to 200,000 could arrive here seeking shelter.

Now eight months later, a blunt message has gone out that we simply don’t have the beds for them. It’s a welcome with a big difference in that they’re being told they are free to come, but rather than a roof over their head, the offer could easily involve sleeping on the streets. It’s pretty stark.