Borrisokane ‘let down’ over asylum-seekers

The Borrisokane Liaison Committee has expressed disappointment over the absence of Government department representation at a recent meeting held over the situation facing former asylum-seekers in the town.

It is understood that there are still 20 families living in the Riverside apartment complex. A number of them have been served with eviction notices by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), which wants to use the apartments to house newly-arrived international protection applicants. Two families are due to leave at the end of this month by choice, as they have been able to find suitable alternative accommodation.

Most of the Riverside residents have been in-situ since 2019 and have now achieved asylum. They regard Borrisokane as their home, as does the Borrisokane Liaison Committee, which is all calling on all relevant stakeholders to uphold an agreement made in 2019 that the now former asylum-seekers could continue to live at the Riverside complex.

Following a well-attended public meeting about the situation last month, a meeting between the local committee and Tipperary Co Council took place at the Civic Offices in Nenagh last Monday week. In a statement, the Borrisokane committee said it felt “let down” by a Government “no show” at the meeting. It said the Government departments involved were “first in the door” back in 2019 when they wanted to open a direct provision centre in Borrisokane.

“Now they are avoiding us because we stand alone with our agreement that we worked so hard to obtain in the first place!” the committee stated. “We the liaison committee, along with the elected representatives of the Nenagh Municipal District, its executive, Department of Justice principal officer, department representatives and the property management spent three long days in the Civic Offices in Nenagh thrashing out an agreement that could, and indeed did, make sure that the then asylum-seekers were given a warm welcome by our community to be fully integrated, as this was a strong request by both the department and our committee on behalf of the wider community.

“We are proud to say this has been a huge success. We have been lauded and applauded the length of the country for our approach.”

INTEGRAL PART OF AGREEMENT

The committee stated that “an integral part of our agreement is that if and when these families got their status, they would be allowed to continue to live in the Riverside centre, be it under HAP or private rental payment if they so desired”.

Its members recalled that in 2019 they insisted on only families being allowed to reside in the apartments. Agreement was reached on 16 families at first, but in July 2020 all parties agreed to increase the number to 20 families.

Other features of the agreement included an undertaking that no further direct provision centres would be opened within a 10km radius of the town. It was agreed that “a package” would be provided by the Department of Justice to assist the mutual goal of securing long-term integration in Borrioskane. “This benefited our local sports groups and projects in our town,” the committee stated.

“It must be noted that this agreement was signed off by a then senior official of the Dept of Justice on behalf of all parties involved. This is our agreement – it must be honoured by all parties, including the Government!”

FAR RIGHT

“At our meeting in 2019, we had an element of the far right, who told a packed hall that we were being sold a pup by the Government and should not allow any asylum-seekers into our community. We disregarded these comments and agreed with the aforementioned parties on a plan and a vision that would see and ensure full integration and success of asylum-seekers coming into our community.

“Surely, after achieving this, we are not going to allow those words on that night to be correct?” the Borrisokane Liaison Committee asked.

The Department of Justice has been asked to comment on the matter, as has the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

EVICTIONS ON HOLD

It has emerged since last week's meeting that a decision has been made to pause the eviction of residents from the Riverside this month as planned. Deputy Michael Lowry said 10 of the families had been told that they would be evicted but that this move is on hold following his seeking of the personal intervention of Taoiseach Simon Harris in the matter. The local committee had also gathered almost 200 signatures on a petition calling for the agreement to be honoured.

“News that this decision has been paused has been welcomed, but the situation remains fraught with uncertainty,” Deputy Lowry stated this week.

“Local people remain resolute in ensuring that the full terms of the original written agreement will be honoured. This has been a good news story since 2019. This reprieve on eviction is very welcome, but the uncertainty remains, not only for the town’s newest families but also for the local community, who have stood firmly beside them,” Deputy Lowry stated.

“They believed that the agreement reached five years ago was binding and they placed their trust in it. Now they are left feeling uncertain and disillusioned.”

Deputy Alan Kelly called for a “full decision” to be made on the situation. “Pausing these evictions for a period so the State can get more accommodation ready and telling these residents that they still have to move on in a month or two simply isn't acceptable,” he said.

“Roderic O’Gorman is the Minister for Integration after all, and Borrisokane is the best example of integration in Ireland. These people have status in our country now and qualify for HAP, so it should be conditioned that such accommodation suppliers like those in Borrisokane should have to take HAP for a number of years after status is given to their residents.

“It is not acceptable that these suppliers refuse to take HAP,” Deputy Kelly stated. “If that is the case and it is allowed to continue, then it's just the state incentivising greed whereby they will take the larger state payments for accommodating new IPAS arrivals but not the HAP payments to keep those that have been here for many years housed where they've integrated.”