THE TENTED VILLAGE in Gormanstown and accommodation in the Citywest Hotel and Millstreet Arena in Cork are expected to be in full use by refugees by Easter.

Warehouses and other vacant properties might also be used to house people arriving here from Ukraine in the coming days.

There will also be a national ‘call for buildings’ to identify empty units for emergency accommodation and potentially as permanent housing in the long term. 

The Defence Forces began constructing a large tent village for Ukrainian refugees in Gormanstown Camp at the end of last month, but it was hoped that it would be used only as a last resort.

A Defence Forces spokesperson said at the time that the tents will only be used in a scenario where hotels and other facility spaces have run out. 

Government is also working on securing a deal with the Citywest facility, similar to the one it had at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar told his parliamentary party meeting last night that he expects the 750 bedroom Citywest Hotel in Dublin to be in use by Easter. 

With nearly 4,000 rooms and 9,800 serviced accommodation beds already being used to house Ukrainians, there are concerns about capacity come the summer months when hotel rooms are pre-booked already. 

The Millstreet Arena in Cork, which will have capacity for more than 400 people, is on target for use from 18 April.

There are growing concerns about a shortage of accommodation, as 650 refugees arrive in Ireland per day, on average. 

By Easter weekend, the forecasted number of arrivals to Ireland is in the range of 26,000 to 32,000. Beyond that, forecasting total number of arrivals is challenging, a Government spokesperson said. 

Housing capacity 

Cabinet was told this week that the primary challenge remains the constraint on the supply of suitable accommodation for people arriving here.

Ministers were told there is a risk to current capacity in short-term, including emergency accommodation.

It is understood the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is urgently developing detailed proposals to help address the anticipated needs that will arise in the medium to longer term, including a delivery structure and options for accommodation.

Government sources said there are predictions that the average number of arrivals may fall in the coming days, but they said they had to plan for the average numbers they are experiencing right now.

To date a total of 20,719 offers of accommodation have been pledged by members of the public.

Notwithstanding the high level of pledges, the Government believes it is unlikely some properties will be suitable for use, with expectations that only 40-50% of pledged accommodation will be used. 

Pledges falling through

Government sources have also indicated that while pledges are still being worked through, a lot of pledges are falling through. 

Independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick has said yesterday in the Dáil that people who have opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees feel “isolated with no support”.

During Leaders’ Questions, he told Taoiseach Micheál Martin that members of his constituency are finding it difficult to pay their bills without any support from Government.

“They said they have absolutely no regrets that they have opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees, but they find it difficult and financially challenging.

“They have increased energy and food bills, and on top of this, there’s massive hikes in energy prices, yet when they look for support and assistance from the Department, they feel that there is none,” he said.

Fitzpatrick suggested that it isn’t fair that those who are accommodating refugees are not receiving support “while hotels and B&Bs are receiving full support for taking in refugees”.

“Taoiseach I am asking you today to assist with this issue and get proper support to the many thousands of Irish people and families who have opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees,” he said.

In response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin paid tribute to those who have volunteered to help Ukrainian refugees to get settled in this country.

“The initial focus of our responses has been, first of all, on the accommodation,” he said.

“This is something we’ve never thought we’d experience, and therefore, we’ve been focusing in the initial phase of this, on getting the accommodation. We’ve much more to do there, we’re under pressure in terms of accommodation but we have to get through all the pledges, we have significant work on the way,” he said.

Martin said the Government is working on acquiring more accommodation for refugees, including from private and state-owned properties, religious properties and local authority facilities.

“All of that is being worked on as we speak and that has to be where the energies go right now. Likewise, there is income support immediately in terms of social protection, once refugees come into the country,” he said.

Community forums

He also said the Government is establishing community response forums in each local authority to coordinate responses to the Ukraine crisis.

“That forum will bring together all of the public, community and larger organisations acting locally, as well as the mayor of each local authority. These local forms are best placed to put arrangements in place to help the new arrivals from Ukraine access services. We believe that these forums are an important part of what your articulated in terms of the need to provide support on the ground,” he said.

Commenting on the Government’s Housing for All progress report published today, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said the Government is responding in an appropriate and compassionate manner to the war in Ukraine.

“We continue to witness the results of the barbaric Russian invasion and we are stepping up to protect those fleeing their home and to provide them with accommodation. At the same time the Government will protect Housing for All and its current pace of delivery to the greatest extent possible. Housing for All offers stability during this time of great uncertainty,” he said.

The Taoiseach said: “We recognise that the wider implications of the conflict in Ukraine will present challenges and Government is keeping under close and active review the challenges arising for the construction sector and the housing market. We must now redouble our efforts to deliver Housing for All at scale and pace, increasing housing supply across all tenures and ensuring a sustainable housing system for the future.”

While housing capacity is the main concern, so too is the numbers arriving at entry points into the country.

Dublin Airport is still the main entry point and continues to see high numbers of refugees, with plans being finalised to move the reception facility from the airport to the Citywest complex.

It is understood that instead of being processed at the airport, those arriving in Ireland will be bussed to Citywest for processing. Extra resources are also being deployed to Rosslare Port in Wexford.