A new report called ‘The Reception Gap’ raises concerns for people in living in state-provided emergency accommodation, giving a voice to residents about the conditions and lack of oversight.
It says that “lasting harm” is caused to people by “prolonged congregated living in Ireland’s international protection system”.
The 170-page report by support group Doras compares living conditions for asylum-seekers in permanent accommodation with the experiences of those who are placed in emergency accommodation.
As Doras also says, “While permanent centres have faced scrutiny in recent years, emergency accommodation, which now houses the majority of international protection applicants, remains largely unexamined, weakly regulated, and without independent oversight.”
“Emergency accommodation was meant to be temporary,” it points out, calling for reform and for full inspections, national standards, and for all asylum-seeker accommodation “to operate within a social care framework”.
“Children seeking safety deserve space to grow, and families and individuals deserve a chance to thrive,” says Doras.
Since the report was published RTE has highlighted how last year more than 1,100 children in Tusla’s care were placed in unregulated emergency accommodation such as hotels and short-term rentals. A large number of these children are asylum-seekers who came to Ireland seeking refuge.
You can download Doras’s ‘The Reception Gap’ summary report and full report from: https://doras.org/publications/reception-gap-permanent-international-protection-accommodation-versus-emergency
