Ireland’s housing crisis may fuel ‘anti-refugee sentiment’: Council of Europe

BIRMINGHAM, England 

The Council of Europe, in a letter addressed to the Irish prime minister, stressed challenges that international protection applicants face about accommodation in Ireland, and warned that the housing crisis may fuel “anti-refugee sentiment.”

“Due to a severe lack of available accommodation, over 900 international protection applicants have been left in a situation of street homelessness over recent months, while families with children are often housed for extended periods in inadequate and overcrowded transit conditions.

“The situation, which occurs against the background of a broader housing crisis in Ireland, may contribute to a nascent anti-refugee sentiment across the country which has led to several worrying incidents,” the letter, also addressed to the Irish integration and housing ministers, read.

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic called on Irish authorities to comprehensively review and address the structural shortcomings of the international protection system and to develop a sustainable approach toward the accommodation of refugees and asylum seekers under the broader housing policy.

“The scale and complexity of the prevailing reception crisis calls for a whole-of-government approach,” she said.

The commissioner also expressed her appreciation for the “generous welcome” that had been extended by Ireland to almost 80,000 refugees from Ukraine, with some 60,000 provided with different forms of accommodation.

However, she argued that housing for international protection applicants had been inadequate since last summer with some being turned away due to a shortfall in accommodation.

• COE
• Council of Europe
• Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic
• Housing crisis
• Ireland