The number of recently-arrived asylum seekers without any accommodation has risen to 1,272, according to the latest figures from the Department of Integration.
Last Friday the number of international protection (IP) applicants who had not been offered accommodation by the State since their arrival stood at 1,103, representing an increase of 169 this week.
Since early December the department’s International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) has said it can no longer offer beds to any but the most vulnerable male asylum seekers as it struggles to source accommodation. Last week dozens of male asylum seekers slept in tents in sub-zero temperatures, unsure of whether they would be offered a bed amid forecasts of continuing freezing weather.
The department said that in response to the current extreme weather, emergency arrangements were being made to provide temporary shelter for IP applicants over the weekend.
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Last week, as the offices of the International Protection Office (IPO) in Dublin city centre closed for the weekend, many men, some as young as 18, were standing outside by their tents, waiting for news about whether they would get a bed for the weekend. Upwards of 100 had slept in tents pitched on pavements and laneways around the IPO offices overnight as snow fell, causing some tents to collapse.
This week the number without accommodation has risen, and the department said it was still “not in a position to provide accommodation” to all applicants “despite intensive efforts to source emergency accommodation” as there was “a severe shortage”.
All male international protection applicants who present to the IPO are assessed by IPAS and HSE staff for significant vulnerabilities and health issues, and prioritised for accommodation, the department said. Asylum seekers who are not provided with accommodation will receive a temporary increase of €75 to their daily expense allowance. This will increase the allowance from the current rate of €38.80 per week to €113.80 a week for all eligible applicants.
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