The €600 question: Can Ireland sustain its refugee hosting network?

Cutting the payment to 20,000 households currently hosting Ukrainian refugees - and pulling the plug on support service Helping Irish Hosts - is a slap in the face 

Ukrainian refugees being relocated from student accommodation in Dublin in February. File photo: Leon Farrell / © RollingNews.ie

Before the Dáil erupted into chaos again this week, the Government quietly announced its intention to extend the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme until March 2026; this is the payment made to ordinary households hosting people from Ukraine in their own homes or self-contained units. 

As expected, a big change is coming: from June 2025, the monthly payment to hosts of displaced Ukrainians will be cut from €800 to €600. We’re told this decision is about balancing the scheme’s impact on the private rental sector. And yes, that’s a valid concern. We all understand the pressure on housing in Ireland today - adjustments are part of managing a scheme like this.