Call for Justice Minister to spell out supports for councils facing surge in emergency housing demands

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

The recent announcement to remove state provided commercial accommodation for the 16,000 Ukrainian refugees, was “full of populist rhetoric but very light on details and devoid of compassion,” according to Cllr Ann Higgins who addressed the issue at the May meeting of Sligo County Council.

Cllr Higgins was speaking to the motion which called on the Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan to “Outline what additional supports will be made available to local authorities to deal with the inevitable rise in homelessness arising from the decision to remove State provided commercial accommodation to 16,000 Ukrainian refugees.”

Cllr Higgins called for, “A considered, compassionate and realistic plan that will provide the Local Authorities with necessary supports to deal with the inevitable requests for emergency housing. The 16,000 Ukrainians emerging onto the open market comes on top of the recent tsunami of notice of terminations, which local authorities across the country simply do not have the ability to manage the homeless demand which is now at breaking point.”

Cllr Higgins stressed, “My issue with this policy shift is twofold - poor communication and a lack of planning. I believe it is disingenuous of this government to announce this policy decision without any detailed plan. It created huge uncertainty and stress for the Ukrainians and did not provide any detail on alternative accommodation options.

“To be clear, it is not and never was sustainable for some of the 84,000 Ukrainians living here to remain in hotels or B&Bs at a cost of over €300m per year. Hotels are meant for a short-term stay, they are not designed to be a home for four years, neither for the Ukrainians or indeed our own homeless. I fully appreciate an emergency response was required initially for the first six months but then, in my opinion, the government should have undertaken detailed medium term planning around alternative accommodation options and targeted supports for the most vulnerable.”

Cllr Higgins continued, “The real question is what happens to the 16000 Ukrainians in hotels when they enter the crowded housing market. Ukrainians will then have to find their own rented accommodation if they are to stay in Ireland with many fearing they will be unable to do so due to the high cost and limited supply. Indeed, many of the homeless charities said that this national policy decision may impact on homeless presentations to local authorities.

“Is the Irish solution to the Ukrainian problem to hope that some or most will return home despite the war continuing? I have no doubt that most of these proud Ukrainians would love to go home in the morning. But the war continues – soldiers dying in trench warfare, children killed in their beds by drones, homes and critical infrastructure destroyed.”

Cllr Higgins insisted she is aware of and understands the concerns of Irish people impacted by the housing crisis saying, “I have spoken publicly before that I fully understand the concerns, anger and frustration by the growing number of Irish people who cannot afford to rent, let alone buy, their own home, But I believe this anger is misdirected. The Ukrainians did not cause the housing crisis, it was here before they arrived and will be here long after they get to go home, which we all hope for them is soon when a peaceful resolution can be reached.”

Cllr Higgins paid tribute to the contribution made by Ukrainian citizens in the region but insisted fairness is a legitimate concern for many in the locality.

“The compassionate approach Ireland showed to our displaced Ukrainians in 2022 may have waned somewhat, but I would argue is far from being dissipated as some louder voices would suggest. Over the last week, I have been speaking to many ordinary people in Sligo who agree that the Ukrainians have been a very much welcomed addition to our communities, children are in school, college, adults working, paying taxes, etc. But some people do see an issue with fairness in terms of access to supports and services, which is a legitimate concern.

“What we all agree on is we deserve a society where everyone who wants to own their own home has a realistic option to do that, where the social contract is honoured and issues such a prompt and affordable access to childcare, health care, an efficient public transport system is available for all.”

In concluding, Cllr Higgins reiterated the need for a detailed and costed plan for Local Authorities to be prepared and able to respond to this policy shift.

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.