THREE NEW CITY centre hubs to help Ukrainian refugees access PPS numbers, income supports and referrals to state services are set to open in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

Two centres, on Cork Street in Dublin 8 and Hanover Quay in Cork city, are now open and can support Ukrainian families arriving into Ireland.

The Limerick centre is set to open next week.

It comes as nearly 7,300 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland since the war began on 24 February.

According to the Department of Social Protection, these centres will offer in-person meetings with refugees to prioritise providing PPS numbers and welfare supports as well as issuing temporary permissions letters.

Information about State supports will also be provided to refugees arriving into Ireland.

Speaking on the launch of the centres, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said that these hubs will help provide supports as quickly as possible.

“These dedicated hubs in Dublin, Cork and Limerick will ensure that Ukrainian families and individuals who have fled this terrible war can get the supports they need as quickly as possible,” Humphreys said.

“My officials are present in these new centres, as well as our Intreo Centres, to assist the Ukrainian people in obtaining the likes of a PPS Number – which is a crucial first step to accessing different services offered by the State.”

According to Humphreys, over 5,000 PPS numbers have been provided to Ukrainian refugees so far.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said that nearly 7,300 Ukrainian refugees have arrived into Ireland.

“Since I lifted the visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens travelling to Ireland on 25 February, almost 7,300 people seeking safety in Ireland have arrived and are being supported as needed,” McEntee said.

The new hubs being announced by Minister Humphreys and I today, provide new dedicated locations where we can ensure everyone entering the State, no matter which port of entry they arrive at, has an opportunity to receive their temporary permission letter, their PPS number and income supports.

The hubs will be in operation tomorrow and Saturday from 9.15am to 3pm and from next week will operate from 9.15am to 5pm.

Temporary accommodation

This morning, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth announced that over 2,000 Ukrainian refugees have been placed in temporary accommodation in Ireland.

The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) has placed 2,589 refugees in temporary accommodation and has contracted over 2,500 hotel rooms since the war began.

Additional capacity is also being pursued through guest houses and B&Bs, state-owned or private properties, religious properties and local authority facilities, the Department said.

The Department also confirmed that there have been over 20,000 pledges to the Red Cross by people willing to provide accommodation to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the invasion.

It said is working closely with An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice, Tusla and the Irish Red Cross on arrangements for vetting all pledged properties. 

Speaking on this, Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman said his Department is working “as a matter of urgency” to accommodate people who arrive in Ireland fleeing the war in Ukraine.

“In the previous five days we have commissioned a level of accommodation ordinarily procured over five months,” he said.

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.”