A GOVERNMENT SCHEME which funds the accommodation of refugees from Ukraine is expected to be extended, but the payment will be cut by €200. 

The state’s accommodation recognition payment (ARP) is due to expire on 31 March.

Currently, the scheme sees €800 a month paid to those providing accommodation to people who have fled the war in Ukraine.

The Journal understands that the scheme will be extended beyond its current expiration date but that it will be cut to €600 per month. 

It is understood the scheme will be extended for at least one more year.

The changes are expected to go before the Dáil next week, with an official announcement expected then. 

Almost 35,500 Ukrainians are currently being housed by hosts who benefit from the scheme which was introduced after the war broke out in Ukraine in 2022.

It was part of a range of measures brought in by the previous government as it struggled to find housing for Ukrainians and other people who arrived here.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, around 113,600 Ukrainians have been granted temporary protection in Ireland. Some people have returned home but around 85,000 Ukrainians remain, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office.

The Ukraine Civil Society Forum said almost 35,500 Ukrainians are currently being housed by 19,000 hosts who benefit from the ARP scheme. In January, the forum warned that if the scheme was not extended they could lose their accommodation.