logo
‘Disruptive, stressful and difficult' – Closure of Ukrainian accommodation centres to impact 2,400 people

‘Disruptive, stressful and difficult' – Closure of Ukrainian accommodation centres to impact 2,400 people

According the the department, the need for accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine is decreasing across the country. This means that some Ukraine accommodation centres will be closing, and some people will be asked to move to new accommodation.
Other reasons for the closures include providers choosing to end contracts, compliance concerns or rates not being agreed.
There are currently 24,400 people residing in 680 State-supported Ukraine accommodation and approximately 420 contracts ended in 2024 which released 15,000 beds for 'other uses'.
It is understood that around 2,400 people are likely to be affected by a contract ending in 32 properties between now and early August.
The Department said the process was paused for the duration of March to allow for greater planning and notice periods for residents and that relocations of residents from some properties are now planned to begin in June and continue throughout the summer period.
The Ukrainian accommodation centres affected are across 17 counties including Limerick, Cork, Clare and Kerry.
The list of accommodation centres returning to original or alternative use in Limerick include Ballyhoura Luxury Hostel, Westbourne Student Accommodation Complex, Celtic Park, Punches Residence and Cratloe Wood Village.
The closures in Limerick will affect approximately 250 Ukrainian refugees as they are likely to be moved from Limerick to another county.
In Cork, an estimated 821 Ukrainians will be impacted across six centres due to close.
Speaking to the Irish Independent about the impact of this move for Ukrainian people, Doras CEO John Lannon said: 'We know there's been a pause on closures and relocations of Ukrainians over the last couple of months but they are now starting again.
"They're very disruptive for people and stressful and difficult. Families and people who've started to make a life for themselves within a community who might have been in Limerick for the last two years will be uprooted and moved to another part of the country where they have to get their children, who have already been through the stresses of war, into a new school, start to make new friends and this sets them back in their development.'
He continued: "We also know that people who have been in Limerick for a couple of years will have been in employment, they will lose their jobs, they will have to find other work in the new locations they go to, employers lose valuable staff, that it'll be difficult to replace, they've already invested in the training of those staff.
Mr Lannon referenced one centre in Limerick where residents have pets which he said makes it difficult as these pets possibly won't be facilitated in the new location that they go to.
He said: "The other thing is access to healthcare and again, we know the shortage of GPs that exists right across the country, but if people need medical support here in Limerick, finding a GP that can take them in a new location and establishing a relationship with that GP or perhaps people need to get to a hospital, actually being within proximity of a hospital is unlikely and that presents difficulties from a health point of view.'
John concluded: "We're calling for engagement locally to see if alternatives can be found locally for people that are living in centres that are closing, nationally, we are calling for a phased approach to closures as well, not doing them all at the same time which presents particular difficulties.'
"We do know that the likes of the local authority integration team work hard to try to find resolution locally for people but it's not possible if there are several closures at the same time.'
The full list of accommodation centres returning to original or alternative use are as follows:
Carlow College Student Accommodation Carlow; Nannys B&B, Meath; Mont Vista Westmeath; Dundrum House Hotel, Tipperary; Golden Mile Retreats Cavan; Ballyhoura Luxury Hostel, Limerick; The Eldon Hotel, Cork; Ballinafad House, Mayo; Rustic Inn, Longford; Carrigrohane Student Village (Double Rooms), Cork; Carrigrohane Student Village (Single Rooms), Cork; IEC Kanturk, Cork; Summerhill Apartments, Donegal; The Hydro Hotel, Clare; Kilkee Marine Hotel, Clare; Kilkee Townhouse, Clare; Bayview Hotel, Donegal; Clarion Village, Sligo; Westbourne Student Accommodation Complex, Limerick; Celtic Park, Limerick; Hotel Newport Holiday Apartments, Mayo; Maldron Hotel Dublin Airport, Dublin; Punches Residence, Limerick; Cratloe Wood Village (B1) Limerick; Cratloe Wood Village (B2), Limerick; Dun Aras, Galway; The Kings Court Student Complex, Kerry; Grand Hotel Fermoy, Cork; Merriman Hotel, Galway; The Avon, Wicklow; The Quality Hotel, Cork; Harry's Hotel in Kinnegad, Westmeath; Skellig Accommodation Centre, Kerry; Foyle Hotel, Donegal.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Housing Minister pulls plug on almost 500 social homes across six sites over rising costs
Housing Minister pulls plug on almost 500 social homes across six sites over rising costs

The Journal

time3 days ago

  • The Journal

Housing Minister pulls plug on almost 500 social homes across six sites over rising costs

ALMOST 500 HOMES have been delayed after Housing Minister James Browne pulled the plug over concerns about the costs involved in the multimillion euro project. The social housing developments were understood to be near shovel-ready and were to be delivered under a public private partnership (PPP) scheme across six sites. Up to 244 of the homes were planned for Dublin and the others are spread across Kildare, Wicklow and Sligo. It is unclear when the homes will now be delivered, but the Housing Minister stressed tonight in a statement to The Journal that the government aims to to deliver them 'as expeditiously as possible' through an 'alternative procurement and delivery strategy'. The decision is set to have significant ramifications, as the department confirmed this evening that housing officials will now carry out a review of four upcoming PPP bundles – each earmarked to contain hundreds of homes. 'After careful evaluation of the costs associated with the 486 homes which were to be delivered under PPP Bundle 3, the Department has decided not to proceed with contract award on a value for money basis,' Browne said tonight. 'The department and the relevant local authorities remain fully committed to delivering the social housing that PPP Bundle 3 was designed to provide. These social homes are very much needed and remain a priority for Government, my Department and the relevant Local Authorities.' Brown said that all six sites have 'full planning permission' and that the department is determined to deliver the homes quickly under a new procurement and delivery strategy. The sites that have been hit by the delay are: 68 homes at the Ready Mix Site, East Wall Road, Dublin 3; 93 homes earmarked for older people in Shangan Road, Ballymun, Dublin 9; 83 homes in Collins Avenue, Whitehall, Dublin 9; 73 homes in Ardrew, Athy, Co. Kildare; 106 homes in Burgage More, Blessington, Co. Wicklow; and 63 homes in Rathellen, Finisklin, Sligo. Advertisement It is not yet known how much the project was set to cost the taxpayer but inflation has been an increasing issue in the housing sector in recent years. In the two previous public private partnership projects, delivered under the same process, final capital spend was €119 million and €129 million respectively. Homes in the latter of those projects costed on average €277,000, excluding VAT. Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the sudden reversal means the minister needs to provide funding to local councils to deliver the homes directly with contractors 'without any further delay'. 'I have always argued that PPPs don't represent value for money for the taxpayer. It's somewhat ironic the government are now saying they don't believe PPPs are good value for money,' Ó Broin told The Journal . He said that the schemes are a poor way to deliver social housing, partly due to the complex structure requiring up to five different partners for each housing project. 'The most important thing now – on foot of the minister's decision – is what he's going to do to deliver, as a matter of urgency, these homes which are badly needed,' Ó Broin added. 'Homelessness is rising, house prices are rising, waiting lists are rising, council waiting lists are rising. This needs to be resolved as soon as possible.' This week's halting of the PPP scheme is likely to pile further pressure on the government over its housing delivery numbers. The government came under fire in recent months for missing its overall 2024 housing target of 40,000 homes by a margin of 10,000. And it came in for further criticism in April when it emerged that it had fallen short of its social housing target for last year by 18%, amounting to 2,345 homes. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal

Labour slams decision for ‘Arts' to be removed from Department's name
Labour slams decision for ‘Arts' to be removed from Department's name

Irish Independent

time3 days ago

  • Irish Independent

Labour slams decision for ‘Arts' to be removed from Department's name

This week, the name of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media was changed to the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Responsibility for Tourism has moved to the Department of Enterprise, while responsibility for the Gaeltacht has moved to the Department of Rural and Community Development. Labour TD and spokesperson for the Arts, Rob O'Donoghue, said the move sent 'a clear message to artists across the country that they don't matter'. 'As of June 2, this Government has made the decision to remove the word 'arts' from the Department, despite having a Department of Arts since 1994 with now President Michael D Higgins as Minister for responsibility with the Department,' Mr O'Donoghue said. 'This move sends a clear message to artists across the country that they don't matter and aren't a priority. It's shameful,' he added. Mr O'Donoghue said arts and music were 'at the heart of Ireland's identity, but that sectoral change was needed to support workers. 'Subsuming arts into merely culture will lead to a further dilution of Government attention towards the thousands of artists in Ireland who are so passionate about what they do,' Mr O'Donoghue said. The Arts spokesperson said while the arts has an economic impact, by attracting tourism to the country, there had been a 'hollowing out of many arts spaces and venues' across the country. 'What artists need is more engagement from Government, not less. We saw the enormous positive impact of initiatives like the basic income scheme for artists,' Mr O'Donoghue said. 'Having a carved out section within the Department is so important for artists to have trust and faith in the system that their livelihoods are being taken seriously by Government,' he added. The Basic Income for the Arts scheme (BIA) was introduced in 2022 as a three-year pilot project to help artists deal with precarious incomes. The first of its kind in Ireland, the BIA gives a payment of €325 per week to 2,000 artists and creative arts workers. It was massively oversubscribed when introduced, with more than 8,200 eligible applications received when it opened. With the scheme due to come to an end in August, uncertainty over the BIA's future has caused considerable anxiety within the sector. Minister Patrick O'Donovan has signaled his support for retaining and expanding the scheme. However, a government decision is yet to be made on the future of the scheme. In response, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport said the new name 'more succinctly captures the full remit of the Department'. "The word Culture includes the Arts and is a common term used in the title of equivalent Ministries in the EU, noting also that EU Ministers meet at the Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council,' a department spokesperson said. 'It should be noted that a previous format of the Department was the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht,' they added.

Merz tells Trump he wants 'more pressure' on Russia
Merz tells Trump he wants 'more pressure' on Russia

RTÉ News​

time4 days ago

  • RTÉ News​

Merz tells Trump he wants 'more pressure' on Russia

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged US President Donald Trump to put more pressure on Russia to bring an end to its three-year-old war against Ukraine. "You know that we gave support to Ukraine and that we are looking for more pressure on Russia," Mr Merz told President Trump at the start of their White House meeting. Mr Trump described Mr Merz as a good representative of Germany and also "difficult," which he suggested was a compliment. He said US troops would remain in Germany and said it was positive that the German government was spending more money on defence. Mr Merz said he was pleased to be there and preparing for a deeper relationship with the United States. The two leaders met in the Oval Office, which has been the site of showdowns between President Trump and visiting dignitaries including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, President Trump and Mr Merz, both conservatives, appeared to have a warm rapport from the start. Mr Merz started with praise, thanking President Trump for putting him up in the Blair House, a presidential guest dwelling across from the White House, and he thanked him for doing so. However, tensions over trade simmered under the surface of their encounter. The United States and the European Union are in talks to reach a trade deal, which would be critical for Germany's export-heavy economy, but Mr Trump said he would be fine with an agreement or with tariffs. "We'll end up hopefully with a trade deal," he said. "I'm ok with the tariffs or we make a deal with the trade," Mr Trump Mr Merz, who took office last month, told reporters ahead of the meeting that they would discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, US tariffs and NATO in the meeting but said he was not expecting major breakthroughs. Germany is the second-largest military and financial backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, after the United States. Mr Trump has urged NATO countries to spend more on defence, though he suggested there might be some limits on how far Berlin should go given its World War II past. The meeting comes amid a broader fraying of ties between the US and many European countries. Mr Trump's administration has intervened in domestic European politics in a break with past practice, aligning with right-wing political movements and challenging European policies on immigration and free speech. Mr Merz, 69, and his entourage have sought coaching from other leaders on how to deal with President Trump to avoid conflict, according to a source briefed on the matter. The meeting is taking place just weeks before a critical summit of the NATO Western military alliance, which has been strained by Mr Trump's threats that the US will not come to the aid of allies that do not increase their defence spending. Such threats are of particular concern to Germany, which has relied on US nuclear deterrence for its security since the end of World War II. Mr Merz has already made some bold policy moves that he can highlight to appease Mr Trump, analysts said. He has backed President Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of economic output in the future, earning praise last weekend from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Mr Merz, who has promised a more assertive foreign policy, also coordinated a visit by European leaders to Kyiv just days after taking office, two European diplomat sources said. "This shows that Germany is willing to accept a greater responsibility for Ukraine and the European security order – these are all things that have been wished for in the United States over years and will be welcomed," said Sudha David-Wilp of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Mr Merz and Mr Trump could find some common ground given they share business backgrounds, membership in right-of-centre political parties, a focus on fighting illegal immigration and a fondness for golf, said Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. However, analysts noted frictions in the US-German relationship. Mr Merz was publicly critical of President Trump shortly before the 2024 presidential election.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store