A group of Ukrainian refugees living in Limerick have been told they will be moved to new accommodation with 48 hours’ notice.
The group of 54 living in Westbourne Student Accommodation received letters from the Department of Integration telling them they are being moved – but with no details of where their new accommodation will be.
The letters state they will receive details of their new accommodation in the coming days and will have 48 hours to prepare to leave their current accommodation, which most of them have been living in since 2022 or longer.
The group of 54 refugees is made up of students, full-time and part-time workers, schoolchildren, very elderly people, disabled people and a newborn baby, alongside 19 pets brought from Ukraine.
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The department has told the group that the new accommodation can no longer accommodate pets, so they must seek alternative arrangements for these animals.
They have put in appeals to the department, asking to have their stay at their current accommodation extended until June so they could find other accommodation in Limerick.
According to their original contract, they should be in their current accommodation until at least March.
Anastasiia Lapko is a student at the Limerick College of Further Education and has been trying to get answers from the department for more than six days.
She said the group hasn’t been given enough time to look for something under the Accommodation Recognition Programme (ARP) or to privately rent.
“Everyone is very stressed,” she said. “Every day is like the last day – we are very afraid that the second letter will come today or tomorrow, or very soon.”
Ms Lapko said the biggest issue is what to do with their pets.
“We tried to find shelters for these extreme conditions, but it’s so far, we have to pay it, and we don’t have any time,” Ms Lapko said.
Ms Lapko said the group understands the accommodation is meant for students and is only asking for more time to find alternative housing.
They don’t want to part with their pets and feel they have no way to accommodate their pets in such a short time frame.
A spokesperson from the department said it has been agreed with the Minister for Education that as this accommodation was previously allocated to students, it will now be returned to provide that service.
As the demand for accommodation for Ukrainian refugees fleeing war decreases, the department is ending contracts with various properties across the country.
“In 2024, over 400 contracts ended for emergency accommodation, in some cases initiated by the providers in order to return to the private sector, or to offer their accommodation for other uses,” a spokesperson said.
“In the next weeks the department will offer follow on accommodation elsewhere to those that need it, and every effort will be made to keep them as close to their current location as possible.
“However, given the significant number of moves planned, this may not always be possible.”
In response to concerns about the Limerick-based refugees’ pets, the department said they do not “provide accommodation to pets”, and “this has been made clear to people who have requested State-contracted accommodation”.
“Due to the scale involved, the only factors that can be considered when allocating follow-on accommodation are HSE-assessed medical needs,” a spokesperson said.
The department said it appreciates moving location is not easy and can be disruptive but it was clear that the accommodation was subject to change.
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