Properties linked to Fair Deal scheme could be used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees

Ministers have been briefed on plans to try to make around 8,000 vacant properties linked to the Fair Deal nursing home scheme available to those fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Cabinet also heard yesterday that an emergency summit of builders and accommodation providers is to take place next week as the Coalition seeks to find ways to accommodate the thousands of refugees arriving into the State weekly.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien told the meeting about measures currently being taken. Ministers heard that Ukrainians are arriving at an average rate of 580 per day, with a total of 26,000 to 32,000 expected to be in the State by Easter.

Some 18,628 people have come to Ireland so far, with 11,214 requiring help with accommodation and others staying with friends and relatives. Most of those who have landed here are staying in hotels, B&Bs and hostels, but alarm is growing in Government circles that available capacity will soon be reached.

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Coalition spokespeople said only a small number of the 20,000 offers of accommodation received by the Red Cross from the public had yet been taken up.

Tented camps and dormitory-style accommodation is also being prepared, but it is hoped that these would be short-term options.

Officials are examining whether up to 8,000 homes, currently vacant because their owners are in the care of nursing homes under the Fair Deal scheme, could be used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.

One option mooted is that the Government could waive the current requirement under the scheme that 80 per cent of rent receipts for Fair Deal properties be returned to the State, which officials hope could lead to many of these being made available. However, the details of the scheme have yet to be worked out.

The Government is on Thursday due to publish a progress report on its Housing for All plan, which is expected to outline the pressures experienced due to surging inflation. While the funding for the plan is guaranteed, officials concede that the delivery of housing may be impacted by the war and the associated increased costs.

Meanwhile, councils have been told to steer clear of land earmarked for social and affordable housing in the Housing for All plan when seeking to identify sites that may be suitable for the immediate development of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

Mr O’Brien has asked local authorities to identify sites that could be used for temporary or permanent housing as part of the effort. The sites – which could be in public or private ownership and may or may not have zoning – must have connections to water, electricity and broadband, he said.

In his letter to councils, Mr O’Brien said Housing for All would “progress in parallel” with the drive to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.

There is uncertainty over how long the war will last and how many Ukrainians will come to Ireland.

Mr O’Brien said an estimated 35,000 homes may be required over the next five or six years over and above the targets in Housing for All to meet their housing needs.