More than 750 refugees have no accommodation from the State
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Some 758 international protection applicants (IPAs) are currently without State-provided accommodation.
Since December 4, some 1,030 male IPAs have been without accommodation at one stage, 120 of whom have been accommodated after being triaged for vulnerabilities.
A further 152 have since been offered accommodation while 910 have received a weekly contingency payment of €113.80, a temporary increase of €75 for those who have not been offered accommodation.
Chief executive of Nasc, the Cork-based Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre, Fiona Hurley, said new arrivals in Ireland continue to face a high risk of homelessness despite State obligations.
“We are particularly worried about this in light of current temperatures and increased anti-immigrant intimidation across the country. It’s vital now that the Government addresses these issues in the upcoming revised White Paper, the publication of which is well overdue,” she said.
Following Justice Minister Helen McEntee's plans to add Algeria and Botswana to the Government's safe countries list as well as a 90-day turnaround on decisions, Ms Hurley said it is important that those who come to Ireland seeking protection from a designated safe country have a fair opportunity to “make their case”.
“While war creates significant movements of refugees, refugee status is based on persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or a political opinion.
“This is why it is so important that each person claiming asylum receives an individualised assessment,” she said.
Ms McEntee’s recent comments on a “crackdown” on international protection applicants who “abuse” the system were recently described as inappropriate by the Irish Refugee Council, “particularly in the current context”.
The council also opposes the expansion of the list of safe countries, saying that it will be difficult for IPAs to access legal advice while in the accelerated process.