We need to be “very up-front and clear” with international students about the housing crisis before they travel to Ireland.
The Irish Council for International Students (ICIS) is warning that international students are “particularly at risk” – amid growing reports of English-language students being forced to sleep on the streets, in cars, or on couches.
The Irish Examiner reports that some students are left with no choice but to return home without completing their courses because they’re facing the prospect of sleeping rough in Ireland.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, ICIS Executive Director Laura Harmon said the situation is stark for students arriving in Ireland.
“We did a survey last February that found there was severe overcrowding happening – particularly for English language students,” she said.
“The survey found that over half of those students were sharing a room with three or more people and one-in-ten were sharing with six or more people.
“So overcrowding is a very big issue, as is sub-standard accommodation and then, of course, the lack of accommodation itself – the lack of affordable accommodation.”
Housing crisis
She said the situation is a “symptom of the wider housing crisis” – but noted that language students are “particularly at risk” when it comes to house hunting.
“They in turn will go back to their home countries and act as ambassadors for Ireland and I don’t think we are painting ourselves in the best light with the accommodation we have available to these students,” she said.
Ms Harmon said it is essential that we are totally honest with students considering coming here to study.
“We need more clear advice for students that are coming over on the rental situation in this country so that nobody is coming over under the illusion that it is going to be very easy to find somewhere to live,” she said. “Particularly to English language students with the language barrier.
“We need to be very up-front and clear with them before they arrive.”
"Crisis point"
She noted that urban areas like Dublin, Cork and Galway are “particularly at crisis point”.
New figures from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) last week showed that rents have increased 100% in the last decade.
The figures also showed that rents for new tenants soared by 9% in the final quarter of 2021.
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