State facing ‘many obstacles’ to delivering properties for refugees, department warns

The State is facing “many obstacles” to delivering refurbished or modular homes for refugees fleeing Ukraine and elsewhere, according to internal briefing documents drawn up by the Department of Integration.

The documents, which warn that the current model for accommodation is “unsustainable”, also outline blockages to delivering refurbished buildings, unoccupied homes and modular builds – which it says are “key” to the effort.

The vast majority of those who have come to the country since Russia invaded Ukraine last February are being accommodated in serviced accommodation such as hotels.

“There are many obstacles to overcome in delivering accommodation within the timeframe required,” the document outlines, citing “the length of time needed to repurpose older buildings for residential use and to make them fire-safety compliant; shortages of skilled construction workers [and a] lack of sufficient suitable sites in larger urban areas for rapid-build units”.

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The briefing documents also outline that the €800 payment given to property owners hosting Ukrainian families could be extended. The scheme is set to expire at the end of March, but the papers state “this position will be reviewed” in light of the European Commission’s decision to extend the Temporary Protection Directive, under which those fleeing the conflict can seek shelter in the bloc, until March of next year.

New year, old problems for Government

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New year, new Taoiseach, but the same headwinds facing the Government in areas like housing, refugee accommodation and a struggling healthcare system. Jack Horgan-Jones and columnist Gerard Howlin join Pat to talk about political goings-on in the first week of 2023 and whether Leo Varadkar's second stint as Taoiseach will be any different than his first.

They also outline that a new contract for accommodation providers will have clauses to address anti-social behaviour.

Much of the content of the briefing is focused on significant difficulties being encountered in sourcing accommodation – including in bringing on stream sufficient quantities of modular homes.

The Government last year announced plans to build 700 rapid-build homes around the country, with the first phase of 206 homes due to be built across five sites in Cavan, Cork, Tipperary, Sligo and Mayo.

They cost in the region of €135,000 to €155,000 each to construct. The timeline for their delivery has been slipping, however. In material drawn up by the Government in October, it was suggested that occupants would move in in late November or early December of last year.

In November, Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman said he hoped units would come on-stream early in the new year. Records released to The Irish Times show the Office of Public Works (OPW) told the Government it was “seriously concerned” about the availability of suitable sites for construction. Earlier this week, Mr O’Gorman said he expected some modular homes to be available by the end of March.

[ State faces shortfall of more than 14,000 refugee beds by end of March, Minister warned ]

[ Ukrainian refugees must start paying for meals or face eviction ]

[ OPW warned Government of risks to successful delivery of modular homes for refugees ]

The briefing documents, which were drawn up for incoming Minister of State at the department Joe O’Brien, outline that “progress is slow” on the sites “because of continuing nervousness within the communities earmarked for even the phase one sites”.

The documents emphasise that it is likely some projects will have to be scaled back or would not “work out” because of problems with the site or with the communities within which they were to be located.

They also discuss the impact of “community backlash”, and emphasise the importance of bringing on a funding scheme for communities where new reception centres are located – arguing that without such a fund, the State risked “being hostage to the far-right” during negotiations.

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved such a fund, totalling €50 million, to “recognise the contribution of those communities that have welcomed significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine”. It will focus on “infrastructure that can be delivered quickly” and will fund up to 100 per cent of the costs of approved measures.