Newly arrived Ukrainians to be placed in tents due to accommodation shortfall

Ukrainians newly arriving into the State are set to be placed in tented accommodation from next week, as the State is facing a “significant shortfall in accommodation”.

The summer months have seen an increase in the number of arrivals from Ukraine, with more than 10,000 people fleeing here since May 1st, an average of around 650 people per week, the Department of Equality confirmed to The Irish Times.

It is estimated that up to 500 people per week could continue to arrive over the next weeks from Ukraine, a spokeswoman said.

While almost 7,000 additional beds have been contracted in this time, there remains a “significant shortfall” in accommodation for those fleeing Ukraine.

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Due to the shortfall, it is expected that, from next week, tented accommodation will be the primary source of accommodation for new arrivals from Ukraine, the Department confirmed.

“A small number of new arrivals have already been placed in tents, and this will increase as new locations for tented facilities come on stream. Vulnerable arrivals will be prioritised for any non-tented accommodation available,” the spokeswoman said.

While it has been possible to source accommodation from the tourism sector up to now, that sector is at capacity, and “very few new offers are being made to the Department”, she said.

In addition, sourcing accommodation for those already in Ireland in student accommodation was “a challenge, and some may have to be moved to other very short-term accommodation until more stable accommodation is available”.

The Department is continuing to seek new accommodation sources such as repurposed buildings and rapid build and prefabricated accommodation.

As of Friday, the Department had sufficient accommodation for all international protection applicant arrivals. The situation will be “kept under constant review as numbers and capacity are subject to change daily”, the spokeswoman added.

Meanwhile, Emma Lane-Spollen from the Ukrainian Civil Society response group told RTÉ News at One that in the immediate term, as Government work on modular homes and renovating derelict buildings, “we have to be asking everybody who has a spare room or a spare house to offer it to a student or a refugee”.

“We shouldn’t have any spare capacity. I really think we have to be pushing the Government on upping the urgency and developing a plan that actually meets the scale of the crisis,” she said.