There is every chance of this situation becoming much worse if Ukrainian refugees, evicted after remaining in State accommodation for 90 days, also become homeless
Moving homeless migrants between different locations in Dublin is now what amounts to government migration policy, according to Social Democrats’ Dublin MEP candidate Sinéad Gibney.
Ms Gibney, a former chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, said:
“What is happening in Dublin at the moment, is bad for migrants, bad for communities and bad for the city.
“When is the government going get it together and outline a migration plan that extends to more than moving homeless migrants from one street to another in Dublin?
“Over the weekend, as the numbers of homeless migrants sleeping along the Grand Canal increased, the government went into hiding. It now appears that moving homeless migrants between streets in Dublin is what amounts to government policy.
“Nobody wants to sleep on the streets. Migrants forced to live in these unsanitary conditions do not have access to basic services and are incredibly exposed to the risk of violence and intimidation.
“Last week, the Taoiseach said “makeshift shanty towns” would not be allowed to develop in Dublin. Given nearly 1,700 migrants are without an offer of accommodation, what else does he expect to happen?
“The government seem to be making this up as they go along. There is no evidence of even a short-term plan to deal with this issue. Picking fights with the British government is not a strategy.
“It should also be noted that there is every chance of this situation becoming much worse if Ukrainian refugees, evicted after remaining in State accommodation for 90 days, also become homeless.
“As an immediate first step, the government must publish an updated audit of the number of vacant beds in Ukrainian and IPAS accommodation. An urgent review of State property, where migrants can be temporarily housed, must also be conducted.
“The government must also start planning for the future and finally publish the locations of the six-state run reception and integration centres that have been promised since 2021. To date, they have failed to even identify locations for these essential centres.”