Nine in 10 families who hosted Ukrainian refugees had positive experience

The experience of Irish householders hosting Ukrainians has been “overwhelmingly positive” and could be used to house refugees from other countries, TDs and senators will hear on Wednesday.

A survey of more than 1,400 householders who have hosted Ukrainian refugees found that 92 per cent of them felt their hosting experience has been “very good.”

This is despite 40 per cent of hosts being apprehensive beforehand about how it might work out.

Some 76 per cent of hosts would recommend hosting to a friend, a further 22 per cent said they might and only 2 per cent said they wouldn’t recommend hosting.

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The survey was carried out by Helping Irish Hosts which was established in the aftermath of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Approximately 25,000 Ukrainians live with householders in the State at present.

Some 76 per cent of those who have hosted Ukrainians said they did so out of solidarity with the rest stating that their primary factor was the agreement accommodation recognition payment.

Helping Irish Hosts chief executive Angie Gough said the success of it is a “reminder who we really are” and that recent anti-immigration rhetoric has obscured the fact that thousands of Irish people took Ukrainian refugees into their homes after the Russian invasion. Helping Irish Hosts and the Irish Red Cross will give a joint presentation to politicians in Leinster House on Wednesday morning hosted by Labour leader Ivana Bacik.

Some 25,000 householders pledged support at the start of the war and were frustrated by the bureaucracy involved. Almost half went ahead and did it anyway.

“This response is bigger than we ever could have predicted and it’s having an incredible impact,” she said.

“Our understanding of hosting and its benefits is evolving and we now recognise hosting as a key integration opportunity for people seeking refuge in Ireland. We are advocating for the changes needed to sustain the host response as a key aspect of the refugee accommodation solution.

“It is time for Government to remind us of the positives. We have been waiting for a communication campaign for the last year that reminds us of the benefits of immigration. These are people who are coming into Ireland seeking refuge, but there are loads of opportunities for people.”

Questionnaires were sent out to more than 8,000 householders who have taken in refugees with more than 1,400 respondents. A larger proportion of those who participated in the survey were women aged between 46 and 65 than in the general population.

When asked what challenges hosts had experienced, one in three (32 per cent) said cultural or language barriers. Further challenges people faced included “financial” (19 per cenbt of hosts), having to share their space (19 per cent) and being unable to engage in long-term planning (15 per cent). Nineteen per cent of people shared that they had no challenges to overcome.

Ms Gough said there are 6,000 people who have been through direct provision who remain there despite being given leave to remain. She said some hosts could be employed where available to take such people in if they can receive the housing assistance payment (HAP).

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