Tipperary group call on the Taoiseach to help them keep asylum seeker families in the area

The Borrisokane Liaison Group have welcomed an agreement from Taoiseach Simon Harris to engage with them to help the asylum seekers in the town stay once they receive refugee status.

A row erupted in July when 20 families at the Riverside Apartments were served with eviction notices and asked to move to a centre in Birr.

Secretary of the group Maria Donnelly and PRO Margaret Donnelly approached the Taoiseach while he was visiting Nenagh on Friday to support General Election candidate Cllr Phyll Bugler. 

Speaking to the Tipperary Star following the exchange, they said the current Government policy wasn’t working for anyone.

“He said he would engage with us and what we were talking about needs to change.

“The model for asylum seekers and refugees in the country needs to change and he said he would engage with us and get back around the table,” said Margaret. 

The pair told the Taoiseach that the way the Borrisokane Community has embraced the families is one he and his government should want to support. 

But they told him moving the families around was akin to “human trafficking.”

The Taoiseach said he did not agree with the description saying: “Being asked to move to Birr was hardly the developing world.”

But, he did say the model in Borrisokane was one that “should be celebrated” and he agreed to re-engage with the group at a later date. 

He also told them they could stay in touch with him through former councillor Ger Darcy who has been supporting the residents in their efforts. 

SAFE AND SOUND

Maria and Margaret told the Star that the way Borrisokane have welcomed asylum seekers has benefited them and the community. 

“Borrisokane has basically been a model unit that works. They are integrated, keywords, no revolving doors, families only…,” said Maria.

“Because we are a small rural community and employment is extremely low, the best-suited people for our areas to increase the numbers for the schools to increase the numbers in clubs and societies. 

“And the families became so happy and throughout they said they felt so safe and so welcome which is key. 

“But the model from the Government, they don’t seem to want to follow that and I think maybe it's the private entities that are breaking it,” said Margaret.

AGREEMENT

Margaret and Maria said at the moment the families in Borrisokane are in limbo.

They cannot stay in their accommodation because the private company who run Riverside Apartments have an agreement with the The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

But, that agreement is only to house asylum seekers.

Once those asylum seekers gain refugee status or leave to stay, they are asked to move out and fall victim to the housing crisis. 

And even if they find accommodation, it may be outside Borrisokane, where they have made their home.

“We are helping them to find places in the community but they are not allowed the option to pay rent where they are living and that’s what we wanted them to do. 

“We had an agreement that if they wanted to stay in Borrisokane in the accommodation they are in they would pay rent under the HAP scheme or private rental but they have never been given that option, said Maria. 

Maria and Margaret say that the families could say that there is enough space for them. They told us that the building has 20 apartments under the agreement and have received planning permission for eight more. 

“So, we are not allowing anyone to go into those eight until they sit around the table with us,” said Maria. 

The Borrisokane Liaison Group are asking the company and the department to come to the table and work out a way for the families to stay but pay rent. Any other solution would be short-term and prolong the issues experienced by asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland.

“Basically he was ticking a short-term box right I have my job done but the long-term problem is going onto the county councils and the Department of Housing, but how are they supposed to solve this problem when they are not getting the monetary support from the government to help with this and this is where the knock-on effects are happening.

“It’s like we will tick a box for today, put a plaster on a broken leg,” said Margaret.

“Well, we asked the Taoiseach to get back around the table with us. We requested it last July and nobody turned up.

“The property company won't talk to us, they hide behind the department and when we asked them to meet they said they wouldn’t meet without the department and when I suggested they bring the department, they said it’s not in their interests to do that,” said Maria.