THE RELOCATION OF around 300 Ukrainian refugees living former student accommodation in Cork city due to take place next week has been temporarily suspended.

A letter from the Department of Integration, seen by The Journal, told the Ukrainian residents of the privately-owned Cork Student Village on the Carrigrohane Road in Cork that their relocation has been “postponed until further notice”.

The Department said that it is “conscious there are challenges regarding moves from state contracted accommodation”.

“Further engagement and discussions are taking place with a view to addressing the matter,” the Department letter told residents.

Last month, the Department wrote to the Ukrainian residents at the accommodation, telling them they would be relocated between the end of this month and March. 

Residents were told that due to the pressure on accommodation in the country, requests for housing in a specific area would not be taken into account, except in cases where there is a serious medical issue.

Older people and those with disabilities were due to be relocated tomorrow, while the remaining refugees were due to be moved on 3 and 4 March.

One woman at the Cork Student Village, speaking to The Journal this morning, said she understood that all 300 people there – including those that had been told they would be moved tomorrow – had been told they could remain at the accommodation for now.

The Student Village in Cork city. Google Maps Google Maps

While the residents are still face an uncertain future, and could yet be moved, several said this morning that they are grateful that their children will be able to finish their school terms uninterrupted. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, speaking generally about the issue of Ukrainian refugees families being moved, told the Dáil they “should not be treated in an unfavourable manner”.

“If they’ve [been] set up in local schools, if they’ve been in a given location for quite some time, I don’t approve that they’ve been summarily turfed out and moved on to locations far away,” Martin said.

“I think we’ll discuss this with the new minister for children in terms of the need to be conscious of the needs of the Ukrainian children, in particular, because the trauma they’ve already experienced because of having to flee their country, because of war. We don’t necessarily want to add to that trauma.”

‘Shuffled like cards’

The Ukrainian refugees at the complex have built a supportive community – cooking in shared kitchens, helping elderly neighbours with medical care, and watching their children adapt to local schools.

There are around 50 school-age children living in the student village who may need to repeat the school year if they are forced to relocate.

Olga, who lives at the site with her son, gathered over 80 signatures from people in the student village for a petition to the government explaining their community’s situation.

“We have elderly residents who are connected to local hospitals, including those who are bedridden. Many people work in Cork. Others are studying, hoping to integrate into society,” she told The Journal.

“People are gripped by a panicked fear of the unknown — terrified they’ll be abandoned and stripped of what little stability they’ve found.”

Olga’s 10-year-old son has already changed schools once this year after their move from Rosscarbery to Cork city.

“Why should he leave again without finishing the year?,” she asks.

Many residents also said that healthcare access was a major concern, as they must travel an hour and a half by bus to see their GP in Rosscarbery.

An older resident, Raisa, previously said that she and others have been shuffled around “like cards in a deck”.

“They shuffle us around like cards in a deck. At 78, I don’t have much fight left, but I feel sorry for the children. Olga’s boy just entered a new school,” Raisa said.