The issue of asylum seeker accommodation needs an “emergency response” from the Government, the Jesuit Refugee Service has said.
Prior to last weekend’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations, there were dozens of asylum seekers living in tents on the street outside the International Protection Office (IPO) on Mount Street.
Ahead of the celebrations, roughly 130 of them were moved to alternative accommodation in Crooksling in south-west Dublin.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Jesuit Refugee Service National Director Eugene Quinn said the men had endured “squalid” living conditions on Mount Street but some have returned because conditions at Crooksling are poor as well.
One man even described the accommodation as 'not fit for animals'.
“Moving to Crooksling is effectively a sticking plaster,” he said.
“It’s an emergency response where people would be put in safe [conditions] where they would be given access to toilets, to shower facilities and to food.
“But it’s not a long-term solution and I think that some of the men that have returned [to Mount Street] have found it wasn’t what they were hoping for [and they need to] live with basic dignity.”
Last year, there were 13,227 international protection applicants in Ireland and the Government has struggled to find appropriate accommodation for them all.
Mr Quinn conceded the situation is “incredibly difficult” given the housing crisis - but said other Governments are under similar pressure.
'It's wet, it's miserable, there are no toilets or showers. This is nowhere for somebody to be staying.' @BarryWhyte85 reports from Dublin’s asylum seeker ‘Tent City’ where volunteer groups are warning of a growing ‘humanitarian emergency.’ pic.twitter.com/8ORuvGXVpw
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) March 14, 2024
“This has been an indictment of the political system and the Government’s failure to adequately respond over the last two years,” he said.
“We have basically an asylum system that’s stretched to breaking point.
“The reality in the world and the reality in Europe is that asylum applications have hugely increased and we’re now receiving that share.”
He urged the Government to refocus its efforts on finding short-term and long-term accommodation for those in need.
“We need an emergency response now,” he said.
“This is a crisis situation, nobody is comfortable with what is happening last week at the IPO and the real fear is that it will reoccur.
“We need an emergency response, I suppose similar to NPHET.”
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Main image: Tents outside the International Protection Office on Mount Street. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ie
