The head of the Irish Refugee Council has said private accommodation options for people coming here "are certainly running out."
Nick Henderson was speaking after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warned the Government was "not in a position to guarantee accommodation to everyone who arrives in the country - that's just the reality of the situation."
Mr Henderson told The Pat Kenny Show he takes the comments, made on Wednesday, with a pinch of salt.
"I don't think it's a statement of fact yet," he said.
"I think we should just pour a little bit of cold water on what he said.
"It was some remarks at a wide-ranging press conference after the Government's away day in Farmleigh.
"It's no guarantee of what he says will actually occur; but I think we can all agree, and I'd certainly admit, and by the Government's own projections, private accommodation options - and by that I mean hotels and similar - are certainly running out.
"Indeed [they are] possibly likely to decline as we enter the spring and the summer, particularly in the context of large numbers of Ukrainian people living in those hotels."
State land
Mr Henderson denied refugees were being put ahead of others in need of housing.
"We're not putting the refugees first at all," he said.
"There is a Government strategy for housing - Housing for All - it has its critics and we very much recognise there's a housing emergency in this country.
"We work in partnership and support a broad movement for a better housing provision for all people in the State."
He said there is still 'significant capacity' to build on State land.
"What we are recommending is that, in the particular circumstances of a war that's deteriorating on our doorstep, there will be a requirement to develop new and very urgent policies focusing on State land."
Ukrainian refugees wait to board busses at the Medyka border crossing in Poland on March 11th, 2022. Picture by: ZUMA Press Inc / Alamy Stock PhotoMr Henderson said building on State land would require close cooperation.
"We need all the levers of the State being turned on to allow this to happen," he said.
"We need an all of Government approach - the Department of Children have been doing a huge amount of work on this issue, but it's pretty clear to all that they're now saturated.
"They're at capacity, there were at capacity in the middle of last year, and that you need other Government departments to take this forward".
Last year, the State welcomed 70,000 Ukrainians and Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman has briefed the Cabinet that it is set to become even harder to find them suitable housing.
Housing expert Dr Lorcan Sirr has said the Government "should try harder" to accommodate refugees and asylum seekers.
