Estimate of ‘65,000 Ukrainians’ in State by year end, says refugee council

Chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council Nick Henderson has said accommodating Ukrainian refugees at the Aviva stadium was a “reminder” of the “absence” of medium- to long-term accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

“What we’ve seen at the Aviva is a very visual reminder of the situation we’re in,” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland after the Business Post had reported the use of the stadium.

“In many ways we commend the Aviva stadium and other accommodation providers for coming forward, but it is a pretty plain and real reminder that there is a very significant absence of medium- to long-term accommodation for refugees from Ukraine”.

Mr Henderson said that if the rate of arrival of refugees from Ukraine continued at the current level to the end of the year then there would be 65,000 arrivals of whom 75 per cent would require accommodation. Even if all the places pledged were realised, that would still be only 9,000 while 50,000 places would be required.

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“There is a very clear and real and very significant gap between the accommodation needed and the amount of accommodation that we are likely to have on stream and that’s in a best-case scenario I believe”.

Challenge confronting Republic

Modular homes would provide 2,000 places, but this was still insufficient for the challenge facing the country, he said.

“We’ve always said that we think Ireland has led well from the beginning. There has been a strong emergency response but the real challenge will be this medium- to long-term planning and implementation particularly around accommodation and also that we are not alone in this situation at all. Across Europe countries are experiencing challengesand they’re working through these problems as well.”

Other government departments needed to take more responsibility, he said.