Large buildings and halls sought to help with refugee accommodation crisis

Large building and facilities which are "deemed safe" to house refugees has been sought by Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman in a letter to his ministerial colleagues.

The letter sent by him, which was reported on by several media outlets including Indpendent.ie and Journal.ie, O’Gorman asked for sports centres, conference facilities, arts centres, student leisure centres and any other large buildings that are “deemed safe” to house refugees.

“What is needed are large halls where camp beds, mattresses, sleeping bags could be set out for people,” O’Gorman said in the letter to all ministers.

On Thursday, Labour leader and housing spokesperson Ivana Bacik called on Government to appoint a Special Minister with Responsibility for Housing Refugees to the Housing Department.

Questioning the Tanaiste in the Dáil , Deputy Bacik said the information vacuum created by Government is being exploited by 'sinister actors' in local communities.

Deputy Bacik said: “We in Labour are calling for a Minister to be appointed with the purpose of creating a strategy to house refugees in communities. The Government also needs to adopt a centralised approach to getting information out to local communities in a timely way when new accommodation is being opened".

Recently, some who arrived in Ireland seeking protection have had to sleep rough, as there was no accommodation available for them. 

Others have had to sleep in tented accommodation, with an outcry as over 80 people were housed in tents in Clare in recent weeks.