Ireland has an obligation to all Ukrainians arriving here

A group of some of the people from Ukraine who have moved from Cork to Clonmel. Picture Denis Minihane.

Having opened its arms to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion of their homeland, unsurprisingly, the Government now seems at a loss about where to send them.

Ireland has welcomed almost 50,000 people from Ukraine under a European Union Temporary Protection Directive, and is struggling to keep up with the numbers.

Speaking to Ukrainians who have fled their war-torn country, it is abundantly clear how grateful they are to be safe in Ireland from Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression. 

Many are reluctant to criticise the Government and Irish people, but it must be said that their stay over the last six months has been plagued with uncertainty, stress, and confusion — and we can do far better.

The pleas from Ukrainians are not a big ask. 

They want to work, contribute to Irish society, and pay back to this country. 

However, as many are zig-zagged across the country, from hotels to camps and back again, it remains impossible to set down roots.

The dilemma about accommodating refugees can be viewed in the context of a burgeoning housing crisis.

The Department of Children bought some time by housing 5,000 Ukrainians in student accommodation complexes during the summer months. 

Some of the group of up to 300 Ukrainian refugees who are temporarily staying at the Student Village Accommodation on the Carrigrohane Road, Cork. Picture: David Creedon

One group in Cork has already been scattered across the country into temporary accommodation again. Many are desperate to stay put and start a life for the first time in six months.

About 3,500 Ukrainians are due to leave student complexes in the coming weeks which is set to put further pressure on the already-stretched State’s resources.

Ukrainian children are being taken from schools across Ireland, away from the few friends they’ve managed to make — it's a stain on our record. 

Many children spent two years of the pandemic engaging in online classes, and some finally started in new schools in recent weeks, but as thousands were forced back into limbo, that education was once again snatched away.

How can you get your child into a school, buy a new uniform and schoolbooks, when you don’t know if you’ll stay for days, weeks, or months?

Ukrainian refugees Oxana Savela with her daughter Vlada and her sister Polina Movhav.  Picture: David Creedon

You can’t do homework in an open sports hall in Clonmel. You can’t study for exams in a tent at Gormanston military camp. With no end in sight for the war in Ukraine, should these children be expected to live from hotel to hotel for the coming months, maybe years?

Ireland has a duty of care to all who arrive on her shores, and if we want to maintain some sort of reputation for an “Irish welcome”, ensuring a child’s education is a start.

Almost 10% are living in pledged accommodation, but this was expected to be much higher when pledges rolled in at the beginning of Russia’s invasion this year.

Across the country, only a fraction of those who pledged were still interested once contacted, if they responded at all.

Of course, there are many barriers facing families, like high refurbishment costs to ensure their homes are suitable, but if those who first stepped forward fulfilled their pledges, thousands of children might not sleep in tents tonight.

Equally, almost every day I hear from families who pledged accommodation months ago but are yet to be matched with families. Something is amiss.

Although many Ukrainians have told me they would much prefer their own home, cooking space, and are worried about cultural differences in an Irish home, all have said they would prefer that over tents, sports halls, and nursing homes.

Who’s responsible?

It can be easy to get confused about who it is we should be pointing the finger at to ensure Ukrainian families can live and contribute to Ireland. So who is responsible for this mess?

First and foremost, I would say Vladimir Putin. It’s important to remember that the 6.3m Ukrainians who fled to the rest of Europe over the past six months are victims of Russia’s war against the West.

The situation in Ireland is largely the responsibility of the Department of Children to manage. The Irish Red Cross is primarily involved in accepting pledges from Irish homeowners to take in Ukrainians. 

The majority of the work for matching pledges, organising accommodation, transport, and support is headed by the department itself, local authorities, International Protection Accommodation Services (Ipas) and NGOs such as the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Peter McVerry Trust.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne Show, Children's Minister Roderic O’Gorman said Russia is “putting pressure on European countries to try and undermine European solidarity”.

Mr O'Gorman said he had always indicated that the end of August was going to be a difficult time, and said many will move to community halls as a preference to tented accommodation.

“Other European countries are under pressure too," he said. "The Netherlands have had significant problems, Scotland and Wales are under pressure as well, we have to call it like it is. This is part of the tactics of Vladimir Putin”.

But amid the chaos of organisation in Ireland, and a resounding call from Ukrainians themselves to say this system isn’t working for them, what can be done about it?

Earlier this week, Doras chief executive John Lannon called on the Government to appoint a “national lead” to deal with the provision of accommodation for Ukrainians.

John Lannon, CEO of Doras.

There’s no doubt the system can be improved. Just this week I spoke with a woman who said she arranged accommodation for her family “within five minutes” after pleading with a Government worker to fast-track their case so her mother could stay near a hospital for cancer treatment.

A national lead might make sense of the chaos, cut through the red tape, and start homing families before they end up God knows where.

We have an obligation to take in those fleeing war, but if we do, we equally have an obligation to treat them fairly. Without a permanent location to integrate, we rob these families of the opportunity to work, go to school, make friends and truly live.

- With additional reporting from Vivienne Clarke