FAMILIES IN IRELAND’S international protection system are locked in a standoff with the Department of Justice over plans to transfer them to far-flung centres across the country.

In one case, an SNA worker remained indoors at her accommodation centre in Dublin city centre with her two children for five days out of a fear that she would lose her family’s room at the property.

It comes as the International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas) seeks to free up bed space by moving more than 2,000 people out of accommodation – primarily in Dublin – over recent weeks.

Thousands of people seeking asylum in Ireland are housed in centres that are largely privately-run but are paid for by the State.

There are approximately 600 families affected by the transfers. All of these families have been approved for legal status as international protection claimants by the Irish government, with Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan responsible for the sector.

While it is expected that they leave Ipas accommodation after gaining the legal status, the housing crisis has meant many have been unable to find somewhere new to live.

The Journal is aware of at least half a dozen cases similar to that of the SNA, all arising in recent weeks.

One instance saw the department grant an extension to a family of five who were facing a transfer from Dublin to the other side of the country following outcry from the local community.

These families have told us that they are unwilling to leave, due to having found work and put down roots in their local area in many cases.

The time of year – when children were returning to school and teenagers were enrolling in college in Dublin – was also cited by a number of families who have resisted the transfers.

Algerian woman resists transfer to Donegal

Fatima, a 41-year-old SNA living in Synge Street Ipas centre in Dublin, told The Journal that she feels her family have settled into the area after first moving there three years ago from Algeria.

She has so far challenged a decision to transfer her and her two children – aged 11 and eight – to north Donegal. The department changed the transfer destination to Dundrum House in Tipperary, but Fatima pointed out this was still over a two-hour drive away.

She said she fled a “damaging” homelife from her partner with her two young children, who are attending primary school.

“I feel it’s just we were settled. I got my status, I started working, and my kids are happy with their teachers, especially because they know their situations,” Fatima said.

The Journal has spoken to members of the local community in Synge Street who have volunteered with the residents, and they outlined helping Fatima during her standoff with the centre over recent days.

An agreement between the management and Fatima has seen her continue to remain in the centre, but it’s not clear how long this will last.

On the rental market in Dublin, she said it has been “impossible” to find somewhere.

“Believe me, I tried, I knocked on doors. But because I’m doing just part time, and because my salary is not a high salary, and especially if I mentioned that I am in Ipas, they won’t at all respond my application.”

Fatima told of how she has been desperate to get out of the centre.

I’m not happy to stay for three years in one room. We’re not allowed to cook, and you know, kids, they are picky, and so this isn’t easy.

The Journal has seen letters from Fatima’s employer and her children’s’ school appealing to Ipas for a stay on the family’s transfer.

Another family who have been resisting their transfer is one whose teenage daughter received an offer to study biomedical science at Trinity – only to later receive a transfer from their accommodation in Dublin to Mayo.

The girl told The Journal that she worries she won’t be able to access any accommodation in Dublin and that the transfer risks “destroying” her chances at future studies.

Accommodation shortage

The accommodation shortage in Dublin comes following the department cancelling plans for a number of centres.

These include largescale site planned for Coolock in north Dublin and an expansion for families at one centre in The Liberties.

Department sources have said there is a wider aim to move towards State-run accommodation and away from private providers, but the government has hit some obstacles in that mission.

One large-scale site that was to host up to 1,000 people in Athlone, Co Westmeath has been stalled in the High Court over planning issues.

Department response

When contacted, a Department of Justice spokesperson said it acknowledges that these moves are difficult but said they are essential so that the system maintains enough accommodation to meet the needs of the roughly 1,000 new applicants for the asylum system each month.

The department spokesperson said these new arrivals do not have a legal entitlement to work in Ireland and do not have access to standard housing benefits or standard social welfare entitlements.

In contrast, the spokesperson said, those who have gained legal status do are able to access certain benefits, and in many cases also work.

To help people move from accommodation and find housing options in the community, Ipas has a team that works in collaboration with DePaul Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust and local authorities.