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Red Cross says modular housing sites for Ukrainians should not be in isolated locations

The government expects modular homes for hundreds of Ukrainians will be constructed within a 16-week period.

THE HEAD OF the Irish Red Cross has said the use of modular housing for Ukrainian refugees is a good solution to the current accommodation shortage but the government should ensure these sites are close to local communities and supports. 

Ministers at the Cabinet subcommittee on Ukraine this week discussed plans to build hundreds of modular homes which will be purchased from Irish suppliers. 

The government expects the homes will be constructed within a 16 week period.

Government sources described the homes as being “very good quality”, designed to last for around 60 years. 

Eight sites have been identified and are currently being assessed by the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Speaking to The Journal, Liam O’Dwyer, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross,  said he does not know the locations of all of these sites but was aware that one was “on the grounds of a stately building close to the town” while another is “on the outskirts of a town”.

He said it would be “ideal” if these sites were close to local amenities and community supports to help those arriving from Ukraine to settle in and ensure they are not isolated. O’Dwyer said this would also better facilitate access to employment and to education for families with children.

“Mosney, as a direct provision centre, has been spoken about with huge negativity over the years, but a lot of work went into it and it became a place that people enjoyed living there,” he said.

“It stopped them from becoming institutionalised, they were able to do things like cook their own food, make their way to work and back and so on. If the right investment is put in and if this is done well it can work. No one is saying this is an ideal situation because it’s not, this is an emergency situation and we went to ensure people are as comfortable as possible.”

The government is aiming to have 6,000 people in total in accommodation pledged by members of the public by the end of the summer. Other options for housing include residential institutions such as former convents. 

O’Dwyer said religious ordered had been generous in offering up properties for use and he said the involvement of the local community at one such property in Tipperary had helped Ukrainian arrivals find work and ensured their children settled well into school. 

There are also plans to house 3,000 people in refurbished local authority buildings.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan told reporters earlier this week that thousand of student beds will no longer be available for refugees as students return to college after the summer. The various solutions discussed this week will have to be in place by then.

O’Dwyer said that while people are continuing to arrive to Ireland from Ukraine, volunteers at ports and airports have reported that numbers are down significantly.

Some are also making the decision to return to Ukraine to be with their families if they feel that there is a “lull in the fighting in certain parts of the country”, he said. 

He said that while it is hard to predict how long the conflict in Ukraine will continue, it is likely that many who sought refuge here will go back home. 

“Obviously if the modular homes could be used to address the wider housing issue afterwards – when people have left – that would be great,” he said.

“Interestingly this has brought a bit of creativity into how we think about housing and accommodating people in need in Ireland, that creativity hasn’t been there before so I think lessons need to be learned.”

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12 Comments
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    Mute David cotter
    Favourite David cotter
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    Jul 22nd 2022, 7:02 AM

    This can be laid at the FF door…they decided to abolish the clerk of works officer that used to oversee construction on pretty much every site around
    Why..because the developers told them to and now the citizens are back on the hook for billions….will someone try to find Tom parlon love to here his excuses

    251
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    Mute Marlon Major
    Favourite Marlon Major
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    Jul 22nd 2022, 7:03 AM

    In the end… The government will not take responsibility for managing builders…. And generally, builders will not take responsibility for what they’ve built.

    Ultimately, the owners and the public will foot the bill.

    Sad and frustrating… Especially when you see examples, ifrom other countries where laws force builders and the supporting industry to be held accountable. Ireland fails to incorporate any of these examples fully.

    172
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    Mute Clare McAfee
    Favourite Clare McAfee
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    Jul 22nd 2022, 7:12 AM

    How long has it taken the government to even take notice of this? I lived in one such affected apartment, we had meeting after meeting in Leinster House, a meeting scheduled with the Minister for Housing that was then cancelled, after which point all our communications went ignored and the non-fireproof door absolutely slammed in our faces. A 13k bill when you’ve lost your job due to illness is no joke. Seeing Grenfell Tower on fire and then coming back to a home you know isn’t fire safe – no words. I now live in a house built in the 1930s.

    Who is looking at the schools, hospitals, commercial units built during this time also – because they are most definitely going to be affected too.

    And who is currently visiting construction sites around the country, multiple visits AS THE UNITS ARE BUILT, to check they’re to code? Nobody. Defects are still being created as I write this.

    This “Government” has to go.

    191
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    Mute Eddie O'Neill
    Favourite Eddie O'Neill
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    Jul 22nd 2022, 11:53 AM

    @Clare McAfee: Good comment Clare.

    Does this report list the names of individuals and companies who are responsible for building these death traps?
    Is there prosecutions completed and pending for the criminal behavior outlined?
    Will assets and funds of companies and individuals be seized to pay the remediation? Are these companies in contract with the state today on building projects?
    Are all current building projects up to spec or will the taxpayer be on the hook for tens of billions again in 10, 20 years times?
    As per Clare, schools, hospitals etc built in the last 20/30 odd years are they all safe or are they keeping that scandal for when this one has died down?
    How many more mica/schist cases are there, what are the locations, what will be the estimated cost in billions to the taxpayer to address the issue?

    And Minister O’Brien, finally, how many citizens, under the care of the state in theory, are currently at risk of death from fire or building collapse because of the failure of their government then and now?

    33
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    Mute Misty Eyed Mutton
    Favourite Misty Eyed Mutton
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    Jul 22nd 2022, 8:57 AM

    The professional journalist approach would be to name the individuals responsible and to find out if they are still building. It wouldn’t take much to find out who built the defects.

    101
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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
    Favourite Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jul 22nd 2022, 12:33 PM

    @Misty Eyed Mutton: They’ve generally gone out of business. They hadn’t kept funds in reserve to handle any issues once people moved into substandard construction having bought in good faith. Safeguards were in place but that’s all the “red tape” that they lobbied to do away with.

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    Mute James Bong
    Favourite James Bong
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    Jul 22nd 2022, 8:32 AM

    They appear to have a regulator now for everything and anything ,not sure any of it makes any difference. Meanwhile the Cowboys have rode off into the sunset.

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
    Favourite Stephen Walshe
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    Jul 23rd 2022, 1:29 PM

    What gas is this is going on over 10 years and the pyrite issue was solved well before this even became an issue those poor people need to be helped asap

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