1,000 refugee men without housing
Priority is being given to females and families
AROUND 1,000 male asylum seekers are now without accommodation in Ireland.
The latest figures released by the Department of Integration show that 1,010 men are now ‘awaiting offers of accommodation’.
Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman yesterday said the number of people without an offer of accommodation was a ‘really concerning situation’, but added that families and women seeking international protection were being prioritised for housing.
As part of the Government’s response to deal with the situation, it has moved to limit supports for arriving Ukrainian refugees, in a move that was expected to limit the number of such arrivals in the country.
It has also added two more countries to the ‘safe list’, meaning they will be less likely to get asylum-seeker status, with the Department of Justice also now seeking to procure a plane to deport failed asylum applicants.
‘Our focus in recent weeks has been to ensure that we can provide accommodation for female applicants and for family applicants,’ Mr O’Gorman said.
He continued: ‘We are doing that, and it involves us sourcing additional accommodation on a weekly basis, and we’re doing that and we’re able to meet those numbers at the moment.
‘But it is tight, it is tight even in terms of the provision of accommodation for families and female applicants.’
He said a proposal would be brought to Cabinet in the coming weeks that would put forward a ‘comprehensive accommodation strategy’.
Mr O’Gorman added that this would recognise the reform needed in the existing system and the need for a supply of State-owned accommodation in Ireland.
‘So there are detailed discussions taking place across Government right now, and this is also, of course, linked to the review of the capital ceilings that are taking place at the moment,’ he said.
‘So I would hope in the next couple of weeks that we’ll be bringing this to Cabinet.’
He added: ‘We are very much focused on providing and bringing on additional accommodation because the needs are so significant, because we have seen significant increases both in the last quarter of 2023 and in January.’
Nick Henderson, the chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, said: ‘1,010 people without accommodation is of deepest concern to us. The Government response is completely inadequate and, as confirmed by the High Court, there is a mandatory obligation to provide international protection applicants with basic needs, including accommodation.’
He added: ‘It is hard not to conclude that this policy is an attempt to deter people from seeking international protection and that this situation is by choice and not inevitable. The passing of this milestone should give concern to all and spark action from all relevant Government departments.’
Minister O’Gorman said he has also consulted with local politicians about the use of the D Hotel in Drogheda, Co. Louth, to house up to 500 asylum seekers.
He said the hotel is still being considered for the ‘dual use’ of housing asylum seekers for the State and remaining open for private business.
He said: ‘We are looking at what our options are in terms specifically to D Hotel with regard to dual use. I know there is a challenge with that, particularly in terms of ensuring child protection requirements are met. The hotel themselves have raised issues, but my department is continuing to engage with them on the issue of dual use.’
‘Response is inadequate’