SOME 200 asylum seekers were left without accomodation this week in Ireland due to “lack of availability”. 

In a statement to The Journal today, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has confirmed that between Thursday, 1 September and yesterday, a total of 201 asylum seekers were left without accommodation. 

The Department said the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) was unable to provide accommodation to the individuals due to a “lack of availability”. 

However, it added that as of today, IPAS “is in a position to resume offering accommodation”. It said that the situation still “remains challenging”. 

Newly arrived asylum seekers will initially be accommodated at Citywest, the Department said. 

Earlier in the summer, Cabinet signed off on a proposal to lease the Citywest Hotel in Dublin for two years to accommodate Ukrainian refugees.

The hotel and conference centre can accommodate about 2,300 people fleeing the war.

On Tuesday, RTÉ News had reported that around 130 newly arrived asylum seekers could not be offered accommodation due to the current shortage. The figure of 201 released today marks a significant increase over the past number of days. 

Speaking to RTÉ News earlier this week, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council Nick Henderson said they “have not experienced anything like this before”. 

“The standards in direct provision and emergency accommodation have been plummeting for several months now, but this represents a new deterioration and it means that someone coming here from war or persecution, coming to Ireland for sanctuary, is in effect street homeless,” he said. 

Sport Ireland announced last week that the National Indoor Athletics Centre, located in the National Indoor Arena, is to be made available to assist with emergency refugee accommodation. 

The State-owned facility will be available for a period of up to six weeks as part of an emergency response initiative. 

About 48,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland as of mid-August, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. 

With reporting by Céimin Burke and Press Association