New group of Ukrainians set to arrive in Offaly

A group of new arrivals from Ukraine are set to be housed at Inchmore House in Clara from the end of August. The facility at Kilcoursey is now a 90-day designated accommodation centre

The Department of Justice, Migration and Home Affairs, says it is expected the residents will ''only stay for a number of weeks'' as ''they adjust to living in Ireland and prepare to transition to their own independent accommodation.''

''All statutory requirements relating to the establishment and management of emergency accommodation are being met by the service provider, including health and safety, fire, building regulations and other requirements. The safety and security of the residents is of paramount importance.''

The Department of Justice, Migration and Home Affairs will manage the arrival of people into this centre.The contract will be for an initial period of six months.

Approximately 36 people who are currently resident at Inchmore House will be relocated to another accommodation setting in the county before the 90-day DAC comes into formal operation.

According to the Department ''the numbers of people fleeing the war in Ukraine and who benefit from Temporary Protection has increased of late. This requires additional capacity to be found within the department’s existing portfolio of contracted accommodation.''

Inchmore was chosen because it is already contracted and has been refurbished to a suitable standard, with significant capacity that needs to be utilised.

The centre will be entirely made up of people who are beneficiaries of temporary protection fleeing the war in Ukraine. The profile of arrivals from the war in Ukraine to date is mainly women and children.

The numbers accommodated there will gradually increase and may fluctuate from time to time. The maximum capacity in this centre is for 230 people.

The property is owned and overseen by Townsend Property Services. The company have experience of managing other centres used to accommodate Ukrainians who have arrived in Ireland.

The facility will be staffed with a rostered team to include the facility manager/ duty managers. The manager on duty will be contactable at all times.

PPSNs are provided through the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and people can make an application for a PPSN on arrival into the CityWest Convention Centre.

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''Applicants are eligible to seek work, and many people have done so and are making a positive contribution to the local and national economies particularly in areas where there are skills shortages.'' according to the department.

People who arrive from Ukraine and are beneficiaries of Temporary Protection are provided with full medical checks and medical cards on arrival into Citywest.

Due to the short-term nature of this accommodation facility, children will only be in residence for short durations. It is likely that families will await securing their own independent accommodation before settling children in schools.

As beneficiaries of temporary protection, Ukrainian people receive housing assistance, health, education, and other supports.

Three 90-day Designated Accommodation Centres are currently in operation. These are Fernbank, Limerick City,Punchestown, Co. Kildare Wallslough Village, Co. Kilkenny