Over 85% of properties pledged for Ukrainian refugees not ‘activated’

Over 85 per cent of properties pledged for use by Ukrainian refugees and given to local authorities to fill have not been brought on stream, according to Government data.

Progress has been frustrated by properties being withdrawn, with others being found to be unsuitable or owners uncontactable, with difficulties encountered filling properties in remote or rural locations.

Data supplied by the Department of Integration shows a total of 1,440 accommodation pledges of 9,708 sent to local authorities have been “activated” — meaning they have been taken up or matched to a Ukrainian refugee who is in the process of being moved.

Some county and city councils have struggled to make any progress — Donegal County Council, for example, has activated no properties, despite being offered 351 pledges, 86 of which were withdrawn.

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Withdrawals

Local authorities said that in some instances the number of properties that didn’t materialise were higher than suggested by the Department data, which said 2,847 properties were withdrawn from the process, or that they had filled more properties.

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Department data suggests Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown saw 46 withdrawals, for example, but the local authority told The Irish Times that 135 had been withdrawn, and that of the 489 it was sent, 72 were not in its area. Cork City Council also said 40 of the 242 properties assigned to it were given to it incorrectly.

In Sligo, the local authority said 134 had been withdrawn, compared to 110 in the Department’s data. Meath County Council said 189 had withdrawn, nine more than in the Department’s data. Longford County Council said 30 pledges were withdrawn, the same as the figure given by the Department, but that 20 were uncontactable and eight more were unsuitable. Fingal County Council said it had activated 77 properties, rather than the 52 in Departmental data.

Liam O’Dwyer, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross, which received the pledges of accommodation which were then passed on to local authorities, said it was “concerning that so many have not been utilised”, which he said had led to some “unfair criticism” of his organisation.

“We’re very keen to see the local authorities step up to the work that has been given to them by Government in this area,” he said.

There have been almost 48,000 arrivals of Ukrainians seeking temporary protection into the country, with almost 37,000 indicating they need accommodation. Of these, most are still being provided for in serviced, emergency or repurposed settings such as hotel rooms.

However, arranging options which allow people to exit short-term accommodation is proving difficult, which in turn is placing pressure on the system for accommodating both Ukrainians and those seeking international protection.

A spokesman for the Department of Integration said it was a matter for local authorities to explain their own experiences in activating pledged accommodation, but that common challenges had been identified by NGOs working with the local authorities.

These included accommodation in rural locations, uncertainty arising from dealing with bills, isolation from Ukrainian friends, access to public transport and access to public services.