After students return, thousands of refugees might be compelled to stay in hotels

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IRELAND: The lack of student housing in the upcoming month may force thousands of refugees back into hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Around 3,000 refugees living in dorms on college campuses around Ireland, according to Liam O'Dwyer, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross, will have to leave by the end of the month.

Many people might return to Citywest outside of Dublin, as well as to other hotels, B&Bs, and some institutional lodging, as a result.

According to O'Dwyer, the Irish Red Cross has been charged with assisting in the search for new housing for refugees who are now residing in Maynooth and Dublin.

“Our staff and volunteers are working with the refugees. Firstly, we do the bio-data just to see the family makeups and then we match with the pledged properties and we make offers to the refugees, obviously in consultation with the pledgers,” he told RTÉ Morning Ireland.

According to him, the country's housing shortage has grown to be a "serious challenge" as immigration to Ireland keeps rising.

Additionally, he stated that as students return to college campuses over the next six weeks, more refugees are anticipated to accept housing commitments.

The remaining people will certainly need to go back into hotels, bed and breakfasts, or some of the institutional housing that is now available online, said O'Dwyer.

Only 35% of the 6,800 commitments for a room in a home are anticipated to materialise, he continued.

Approximately 1,300 pledges have already been received, and up to 900 more are anticipated in the coming weeks.

As it became known that thousands of people who pledged a room are awaiting garda screening, O'Dwyer called the process of validating pledged rooms and residences "arduous."

"I believe that shared housing has worked out well for adults, but if you're moving in with a family, there's obviously garda vetting involved, and that's work that we have performed," he continued.

"Garda vetting has been offered to every single one of the 6,800 and has been contacted by them.

“It is an arduous enough process in the sense that there’s an initial call, there’s a Zoom meeting for everybody over the age of 16 in the house and then once all of that is completed, the form for everyone in the house is sent to them and that has to be sent to the gardaí.

That turns into two days thanks to the guards. The problem with that would be that it would take longer if one individual wasn't present at home.

Finally, they have 30 days to submit the form.

"We have literally made over 100,000 calls in response to all of these issues, yet 30% of the people we've spoken to, who had previously indicated their interest, have now altered their thoughts or their circumstances.

"Last week, there were a few calls saying that their mother was sick and would be coming to take that room,"

He stated that about 50 Irish Red Cross employees are assisting with housing arrangements.