A charity that supports Ukrainian refugees in Ireland has described proposals to change how Ukrainian refugees are accommodated in Ireland as “not humane, practical or sensible.”
The founder of Effective Aid Ukraine, Tom McEnaney, told RTÉ radio’s Today show that the proposals were out of line with the general response of the Irish public towards people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Reports indicate that Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman presented proposals to the Cabinet for a change to the way in which accommodation is provided by the State which would include a measure whereby new arrivals would spend 90 days in dormitory-style accommodation, after which they would have to find a place to live.
Mr McEnaney said it did not make sense to move people out of emergency accommodation after three months to find their own place “when we all know that there is no accommodation available”.
The proposals would force Ukrainian refugees into homelessness at a time when those services were already “completely overburdened”.
Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan told the same programme that it must be recognised that the war in Ukraine was a long-term reality and the Department of Housing had been “effectively absent” on this issue for almost two years.
It was quite likely that women and children from Ukraine could stay in Ireland for a number of years and they could not be kept outside of the provision of housing and social welfare, she said.
John Lannon, chief executive of the human rights organisation Dorás, had earlier told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the Government appeared to be more focused on how to limit the number of people coming to Ireland rather than addressing the lack of available accommodation.
While there was no doubt that changes to Ireland's refugee policy were needed, he said, people need somewhere to live. Accommodation standards had already been lowered to the extent that some people are now living in tents.
