Residents 'no longer entitled' to apartments
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has said the former asylum-seekers living in Borrisokane's Riverside apartments are "no longer entitled" to reside there.
Responding to a statement publicised last week by the Borrisokane Liaison Committee, a spokesperson for department maintained that the residents would have to vacate the accommodation because it is needed for new occupants by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS).
It is understood that half of the 20 families residing at Riverside have been issued with eviction notices by IPAS. The evictions were to take effect in July but have been put on hold following representations made by local representatives at the behest of the committee, which wants the residents to remain living in Borrisokane. The committee has called on the Government to honour an agreement made in 2019 that the Riverside residents would be allowed to stay there after being granted leave to remain in Ireland.
"The department understands that this situation is challenging for both residents of the Riverside accommodation centre and the local community in Borrisokane," the spokesperson stated. "However, we are responding to an emergency situation, and there is an urgent need to provide accommodation for families with children fleeing conflict situations around the world and applying for international protection here in Ireland."
The spokesperson made the point that when the Riverside accommodation centre opened at the end of 2019, 7,683 people were in IPAS accommodation in this country. "We currently accommodate over 31,000 people and have over 2,000 single men awaiting an offer of IPAS accommodation.
"These residents, like anyone who has been granted leave to remain in Ireland following an application for international protection, are no longer entitled to IPAS-provided accommodation. However, IPAS continues to accommodate those with status, until such time that they progress into the community, including these residents, who have been offered a transfer to emergency accommodation.
"The residents who have been offered this transfer will have a form of status of at least two years in July 2024. Each family was notified in writing of this in February and March 2024. They were met in the centre in June 2023 and again in March 2024 and advised that a transfer to emergency accommodation was under consideration.
"IPAS accommodation such as the Riverside is required and contracted to accommodate those in the international protection process," the spokesperson concluded.