Urgent update of housing strategy is needed as refugees arrive - McGinty

A CALL on government to update its Housing for All strategy to take into account the housing needs of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland, has been made by Cllr Elaine McGinty.

“We know that the Irish Defence Forces are currently building a large tent village in Gormanstown. However, we also need to develop a long term housing strategy for refugees to include long term, own home accommodation, not tents. These must be incorporated into Housing For All without delay.

“There now must be an immediate audit carried out of accessible state lands in urban areas to identify its suitability for modular housing for refugees fleeing the war.

"There must be a whole of government response to the integration of Ukrainian refugees – from housing to education to integration. It is our obligation to ensure that they are supported and protected when they arrive in this State.

“As always, Irish people have opened their hearts and their homes to people fleeing Ukraine. We have seen plenty of examples of this in Meath. Government should follow their lead and step up to the plate by providing a proper home for people and families.

“History tells us that refugees will not be able to return home quickly. We need a proper, well thought through long term housing strategy to ensure that we do not have children growing up in camps.”

Meanwhile Helpify Community Ukraine is calling on individuals in Meath to join its Europe-wide volunteer network to assist those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The not-for-profit, online platform aims to ease the burden for refugees by connecting those in need of help with a nearby volunteer who can meet their request.

This might include travel or legal advice, transport, medical needs, short-term accommodation, translations or pet care. The site is available in English, Ukrainian, Polish, French and Dutch.

Olena Leontieva, a Ukrainian national living in Ireland and Helpify Community Ukraine spokesperson explains, “The Helpify Community is about holding Ukrainians’ hands through every step of their journey – from their homes to the border and onward to their ultimate destination. Like so many people when the war broke out, we felt helpless. There were thousands of asks for help per hour on social media, most of them going unanswered. We wanted to find a way to connect the people who need help with those who can provide it.”

“People fleeing their homes don’t have the time or headspace to scroll for information on government websites or figure out complicated travel itineraries. Helpify takes the burden off the refugees.”

Helpify Community was established in Belgium during the pandemic to connect those in lockdown with volunteers who could help with dog-walking, pharmacy runs and other needs.

When the Ukraine invasion began, Olena Leontieva and her team partnered with Helpify to repurpose the platform for global use and translate it into Ukrainian and Polish. It was active in just five days.

Olena Leontieva added, “Every day, people in Ireland are asking me how they can help. Registering as a volunteer for Helpify Community Ukraine is a way for everyone to do what they can, whether that’s driving a family from the airport to their destination, offering advice, providing clothes or short-term accommodation. Over 300 volunteers in Ireland have already joined Helpify but with up to 100,000 Ukrainian nationals expected here, we need all the help we can get.”

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