Urgent appeal issued for hotels to house Ukrainian refugees as Army looks to purchase more tents

The Government has issued an urgent appeal for hotels and guest houses to house Ukrainian refugees and are offering payments of €135 a night for single adults.

Meanwhile, the Defence Forces is examining the purchase of additional military tents as their current supply comes under pressure as a result of the crisis.

More than 40,000 refugees have arrived from Ukraine to date, with an average of 1,400 arriving each week. Government Ministers have been told the flow may continue at this rate for the rest of the year.

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The Department of Children, which is overseeing the response to the crisis, has said it “urgently needs to secure short-term accommodation and ancillary services” to house Ukrainians for the next six months and possibly beyond.

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It has issued an “expressions of interest” request through the Government Etenders website, asking hotels and other accommodation venues to come forward with proposals. Due to the emergency nature of the situation, the department was permitted to skip normal tendering rules.

Contracts expiring

It is appealing for catered and non-catered accommodation which can hold at least 50 residents in double or triple rooms.

Many hotels and guest houses signed contracts with the Government to house Ukrainian refugees after they started arriving in Ireland in March. However, most of these contracts are expected to expire in the coming weeks and it is not clear how many will extend their services.

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“As existing contracts reach capacity and/or expire, the department is continuing to proactively reach out and engage with the market in order to deliver additional capacity,” a department spokesman said on Thursday.

It said it was seeking high-quality “turnkey” accommodation ideally available for use from mid-August for six months.

According to department “benchmark” rates, €135 will be paid for each single adult on a full-board basis in a Dublin hotel. Another €25 will be paid for each additional spouse or child. However final prices will depend on quality, it said.

Military efforts

Reduced rates will be paid for rural areas or in bed and breakfasts or guest houses.

On Tuesday, about 150 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Gormanston Army Camp in Co Meath to stay in about 40 military tents while more permanent accommodation was sourced. Additional Defence Forces tents have also been erected this week at Knockalisheen Direct Provision Centre in Co Clare to house 100 refugees and asylum seekers.

Military sources said that while there were currently enough tents to handle Government requests, “supplies are not infinite”.

The Defence Forces Ordnance Corps is currently examining its stock of tents to determine how many more may need to be ordered from the supplier in Germany to meet demand.

“It’s just lucky we’re not dealing with this at the same time we’re trying to run Covid test centres in tents around the place,” a military source said.