The chief executive of Doras, the agency that supports the rights of migrants in Ireland, has said that the Government needs to get ahead of violent opposition to the accommodation of international protection applicants.
The Government also needs “to do a better job when it comes to engaging with communities, listening to them and not giving them a veto and who lives in the area.” John Lannon told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
Since the war in Ukraine started Ireland has struggled to provide accommodation, he said. There was now another potential accommodation crisis coming in the next month when up to 5000 people around the country who are currently in student accommodation will have to be moved when the academic year begins again.
“We don't know, and I guess more importantly, they don't know where they'll be moved. So you've got people like, if you take the ones that are in the accommodation in Limerick, some of them will have acute medical needs and have to find a new GP. And that's not easy in this country at this time. Parents with children will have to find schools.
"People who have been able to find work will have to give up that work and have to start all over again to find something new.”
There needed to be more progress in the provision of medium term accommodation, said Mr Lannon.
“Those rapid build modular homes are part of the solution. Renovations of buildings are part of the solution, but they need to start resourcing this with people with the right expertise who can manage procurement as well as the planning and construction.
"There is an overreliance on the hospitality sector as well as temporary student accommodation right now. So we need to see more non hospitality, local accommodation and to deliver that.
"Budgets need to be given to local authorities who do have the capacity and the ability to develop, to lease, to procure accommodation, to reduce its reliance on hospitality and in places like student accommodation.”
Mr Lannon acknowledged that the situation was challenging for the Government especially at a time when attacks were happening like that in Ballybrack recently. “We have responsibilities to provide protection to people and safety to people who come here seeking international protection.”
