As the number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland continues to rise, the government is under an increasing pressure to find appropriate accommodation for them.
Around 750 Ukrainian refugees are now being accommodated in former nursing homes and unused areas of existing nursing home across the country, the Department of Children and Equality has revealed.
On Thursday last week, it was announced that the CityWest reception hub for refugees would close to new arrivals as the centres reached its capacity.
The following day, Minister Roderic O’Gorman stated that he would not be able to guarantee that new arrivals wouldn’t end up sleeping on the streets.
A spokesperson for Department for Children told The Irish Times: “The Department is not in negotiations with any operational nursing home. The Department will only contract with disused nursing homes for the provision of accommodation.”
The Department is said to be engaging with the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure that only disused nursing homes are used for accommodation.
