Letters

Refugees and a housing crisis

“Yes, In My Back Yard”

Thu Oct 20 2022 - 00:07

Sir, – As you are well aware, the number of displaced Ukrainians seeking refuge in Ireland is growing by the day, and we are facing a steadily worsening housing crisis.

We have been hosting a Ukrainian family of five, plus a friend, in our small house in Wicklow since the end of March. They would love to find a home to rent in the area as their children have settled into pre-school, school and college locally. But the total number of suitable homes for rent in Arklow today on Daft.ie is zero.

I’ve been thinking up a scheme to solve the problem. Now, our old house is on half an acre of land with room for a modular home. I propose you could set up a Yimby scheme, “Yes, In My Back Yard”.

To start with, planning regulations would need to be relaxed, even just temporarily. At the moment, you need planning permission for a mobile home! We would give the land for free, if you would build a modular home on it for this family. This would be so much better for them and their children and allow them some hope of integration in Ireland.

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We could take a public-private partnership approach. If the State funded the building of a modular home on a free site, it could have access to the accommodation to house displaced people or asylum-seekers for a fixed number of years. This could be say, five to 10 years, after which time, the home becomes our private property.

I reckon this could cost as little as €50,000 to €60,000. It would be considerably cheaper than paying hotels, county councils, and sports clubs for accommodation, and it would also increase housing stock, as these homes could be rented or sold after the agreed period.

Could a scheme like this help with both housing and integration? – Is mise,

MIRIAM O’REGAN,

Avoca,

Co Wicklow.