Call put out for Longford property for rent

A number of Ukrainian families housed in the Longford Arms Hotel in Longford town are set to leave the accommodation at the end of this month.
The Department of Integration announced that they are to reduce the number of contracts for accommodation, citing the decrease in numbers needing accommodation and concerns over compliance.

Anna Petrova, Ukrainian Outreach Support Worker with Longford Community Resources explained what was happening: “A lot of centres that were providing accommodation are closing down with those availing of the service moved to another location in the country.”

Anna says the move has been in the pipeline since the start of the month: “We received notification about this at the beginning of August, we were told that at the end of August they would be moved to another location. They will be told where they are moving to 48 hours before the move.”

The Outreach Support Worker says the difficulty of finding new housing is a concern: “Some have found accommodation, but there are a lot still looking. Many want to stay in Longford; they have integrated, they have made friends, some go to schools and others have jobs.

Alternative accommodation has been sourced for many of those affected in other areas such as Carrick on Shannon and Tipperary.
Anna says a lot of people will be affected by the change: “The last time I was in contact with those in the Longford Arms there were 35 people accommodated. They have been looking for alternative housing since before the announcement, but there are limited options available. The housing crisis means it is really hard to find something.”

In December of 2022 it was reported that the Longford Arms, trading as LA Business Enterprises Limited, had been paid €1,294,992 as part of the contracts for the provision of accommodation.