Gormanston army camp has been used as a shelter for Ukrainian refugees since July because the Irish government says it ran out of accommodation
The Irish army’s military camp in Gormanston, Co Meath will not be used to house Ukrainian refugees from next month, the Irish government has said.
It is currently housing about 190 people, the accommodation not a suitable for winter.
Ireland’s Department of Children says it is in discussions with the country’s Defence Forces for ‘alternative, non-tented, refugee accommodation’.
The number of Ukrainians arrivingin Ireland fell to about 90 people per day in August but has since increased to about 126 people per day.
About 800 additional beds for Ukrainian refugees are needed each week.
Almost 49,000 people have sought refuge in Ireland since the Russian invasion at the end of February and it is expected that up to 60,000 Ukrainians will have arrived in Ireland by the end of the year.
Of those 49,000 some 38,000 Ukrainians have sought accommodation from the government.
About 32,000 people are being housed in hotels, B&Bs, and commercial self-catering accommodation, 900 people are in emergency accommodation like Gormanston and some 4,500 people are in private homes.
Ireland’s Department of Children has about 500 contracts with operators providing serviced accommodation – with 165 of those contracts are due for renewal in the next few months.
Over 4,000 offers of accommodation in private homes are being vetted.
Some 4,300 Ukrainians housed in student accommodation during summer had to move as students returned to universities and colleges.
Separate to Ukrainian refugees, some 10,000 people have arrived in Ireland seeking asylum since the start of the year – bringing the total to 15,500, up from 7,500 at the same time last year.
