Over 2,500 Ukrainian refugees have been given safe refuge in Ireland since the beginning of the war in February.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has worked as part of the whole-of-Government response to meet the immediate accommodation needs of those fleeing the conflict.
The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is continuing to adapt to accommodate these arrivals.
Since the conflict began, IPAS have placed 2589 people in temporary accommodation .
In recent days, IPAS has contracted over 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; and
- Local authority facilities.
To date, almost 20,000 pledges for accommodation and other supports have been registered with the Irish Red Cross (IRC). The Department will begin to accommodate Ukrainians in this accommodation in the coming days. This will focus initially on vacant homes that have been pledged.
Speaking on the crisis response, Minister Roderic O’Gorman said: "My Department is working as a matter of urgency to accommodate those people who arrive in Ireland fleeing the war in Ukraine. In the previous five days we have commissioned a level of accommodation 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.”
