THE HEAD OF the Irish Red Cross has said the use of modular housing for Ukrainian refugees is a good solution to the current accommodation shortage but the government should ensure these sites are close to local communities and supports. 

Ministers at the Cabinet subcommittee on Ukraine this week discussed plans to build hundreds of modular homes which will be purchased from Irish suppliers. 

The government expects the homes will be constructed within a 16 week period.

Government sources described the homes as being “very good quality”, designed to last for around 60 years. 

Eight sites have been identified and are currently being assessed by the Office of Public Works (OPW).

Speaking to The Journal, Liam O’Dwyer, secretary general of the Irish Red Cross,  said he does not know the locations of all of these sites but was aware that one was “on the grounds of a stately building close to the town” while another is “on the outskirts of a town”.

He said it would be “ideal” if these sites were close to local amenities and community supports to help those arriving from Ukraine to settle in and ensure they are not isolated. O’Dwyer said this would also better facilitate access to employment and to education for families with children.

“Mosney, as a direct provision centre, has been spoken about with huge negativity over the years, but a lot of work went into it and it became a place that people enjoyed living there,” he said.

“It stopped them from becoming institutionalised, they were able to do things like cook their own food, make their way to work and back and so on. If the right investment is put in and if this is done well it can work. No one is saying this is an ideal situation because it’s not, this is an emergency situation and we went to ensure people are as comfortable as possible.”

The government is aiming to have 6,000 people in total in accommodation pledged by members of the public by the end of the summer. Other options for housing include residential institutions such as former convents. 

O’Dwyer said religious ordered had been generous in offering up properties for use and he said the involvement of the local community at one such property in Tipperary had helped Ukrainian arrivals find work and ensured their children settled well into school. 

There are also plans to house 3,000 people in refurbished local authority buildings.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan told reporters earlier this week that thousand of student beds will no longer be available for refugees as students return to college after the summer. The various solutions discussed this week will have to be in place by then.

O’Dwyer said that while people are continuing to arrive to Ireland from Ukraine, volunteers at ports and airports have reported that numbers are down significantly.

Some are also making the decision to return to Ukraine to be with their families if they feel that there is a “lull in the fighting in certain parts of the country”, he said. 

He said that while it is hard to predict how long the conflict in Ukraine will continue, it is likely that many who sought refuge here will go back home. 

“Obviously if the modular homes could be used to address the wider housing issue afterwards – when people have left – that would be great,” he said.

“Interestingly this has brought a bit of creativity into how we think about housing and accommodating people in need in Ireland, that creativity hasn’t been there before so I think lessons need to be learned.”