‘I'm so scared': Families left in limbo after being told they need to leave IPAS centres

Irish Times

19 hours ago

A number families currently living in
International Protection Accommodation Service
(IPAS) centres in Dublin are worried they will have nowhere to live after being informed they need to leave their current accommodation in the coming days.
Several families living in IPAS centres in Inchicore Suites, Dublin 8, and the Red Cow Hotel in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, were previously informed that they needed to leave their accommodation by Friday, July 4th.
The families in question have been granted asylum status so are free to remain in Ireland but have struggled to find alternative accommodation, despite their efforts in recent months.
A number of families received letters in March advising them that, as they have permission to remain in Ireland, IPAS can no longer accommodate them due to the huge demand on their services.
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The letters, seen by The Irish Times, state: 'Owing to the urgent need, we must now ask you to move to independent alternative accommodation in the community on Friday 4th July 2025. This step is required to ensure that there is sufficient space in IPAS accommodation centres to meet our legal obligation of housing those people still in the process of seeking International Protection.'
The letter also states that, if people have been unable to secure alternative accommodation by Friday, IPAS 'may provide alternative temporary emergency accommodation'. However, it adds: 'Given the limitations on IPAS accommodation this emergency accommodation is not likely to be in the area you currently reside.'
The Irish Times spoke to a number of mothers on Thursday who say they have been left in limbo, unsure of whether or not they will have to move out on Friday – and where they might end up.
The mothers are working in the area, and their children are attending local schools. They said that uprooting their families and moving far away would be incredibly difficult, especially on their children.
One woman who lives in the IPAS centre in Inchicore said she is very worried about what will happen to her, her husband and three young children. The family has lived in Inchicore for almost two years. The parents are both working, the two older children are in a local school and their youngest child has just secured a place in a local creche.
She and her husband have been to several viewings in various locations across Dublin but have been unable to secure a new home. The woman said she and her husband are earning money and are also in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) so they can afford to rent a house. However, every viewing to date has been unsuccessful.
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People with right to remain in Ireland stuck in direct provision centres due to lack of housing, Hiqa finds
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Despite not having anywhere to go on Friday, she said the family have packed up all their belongings in case they are asked to leave.
'I'm so scared, I'm so confused of what to do and what not to do.'
The Irish Times also spoke to four single mothers who are living with their children in the Red Cow IPAS centre in Clondalkin. The mothers, some of whom work in healthcare, said they recently had to give up their jobs in the local area as they were told they will have to leave on Friday. However, they do not know where they are going to go.
These women said they received letters on Thursday which were dated June 30th and noted they were previously instructed 'to vacate your accommodation centre' on July 4th.
'IPAS has now commenced this process in date order based on length of time with status. If you still require an offer of alternative temporary emergency accommodation, and have not yet received your letter, we will be in contact with yot in the coming weeks,' the letter states.
The families have been advised to contact the homeless charities Depaul or the Peter McVerry Trust 'who can assist with sourcing accommodation in the community'.
One woman facing relocation from the Red Cow said: 'We are so stressed. We've not been sleeping, all of us, even the kids.' She noted their children were very upset to tell their school friends they were leaving and might not see them again.
One of the mothers has a serious health condition and is very worried she will be moved to a rural area where she cannot access the healthcare she needs.
'I want to know where they are going to take me because I need to find out whether they are hospitals there,' she said.
Inchicore For All, a group of local residents who are supporting the families based in both IPAS centres, has written to Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan asking for the relocations to be postponed.
The Department of Justice confirmed in a statement that a number of families will be moved from certain centres on Friday, with more relocations happening on a phased basis throughout the summer.
During the coming months, IPAS will be 'progressing moves for approximately 600 families with status to remain from IPAS accommodation centre across the country' – this is 2,042 people in total.
A spokesperson said the department 'always acknowledges that these moves are difficult, especially given shortages of accommodation across society, but it is essential that IPAS maintains enough accommodation to meet the needs of new applicants (1,000 per month), who have a legal entitlement to IPAS accommodation, do not have immediate access to the labour market, and do not have access to standard housing benefits or standard social welfare entitlements'.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) found that more than 20 per cent of people living in seven direct provision centres in
various locations across Ireland
could not move out despite having permission to stay in Ireland due to a shortage of housing.