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Just 15 Pledges Of Accommodation For Ukrainians Made In Offaly

Tuesday, 26 April 2022 06:58

A cross departmental housing taskforce has been set up to figure out a long term strategy.

A cross departmental housing taskforce has been set up to figure out where to house Ukrainian refugees long term.

Cabinet will be updated today on plans to house people fleeing the war.

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien will tell his colleagues a number of medium to long term plans are being put in place to ensure there is enough accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

Some are aimed at the wider housing market with others being more targeted.

The Minister will detail an expanded voids programme - to bring vacant social housing back into use.

Local authorities will also have more powers to acquire homes - including more homes for housing first, those exiting homelessness or people with a disability.

The Minister will also say a cross-sectoral and cross-department taskforce has been set up for longer term planning.

That will include the conversion of vacant buildings to accommodation for Ukrainian refugees, and activating some of the roughly 80,000 planning permissions nationwide which are in the system but haven't yet been started.

It's also emerged just 15 pledges of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees have been made in Offaly. 

Independent councillor John Leahy also says the local authority is now exploring alternative options and is looking at using community centres and GAA facilities to house those fleeing the war. 

He says the government has not allocated any funding to the county yet:

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