The Department for Integration was not aware that a hostel in Cashel earmarked for International Protection Applicants was already being used as emergency homeless accommodation.
News emerged late last week that 74 IPA’s were due to arrive to the building on John Street today.
This lead to significant local opposition because of both the lack of consultation and the fact that alternative accommodation would have to be found by Tipperary County Council for those living there.
Discussions were held last night with Minister of State at the Department of Integration Joe O’Brien who gave a commitment that the arrival of the International Protection Applicants was on hold for now.
Local activist Liam Browne told Tipp Today earlier that there appears to have been a lack of communication on the issue.
“I think there was a bit of a tete-a-tete between the County Council and the Department that they were moving vulnerable people from one Government resource and putting more vulnerable people into it didn’t make sense.
“I think one of the biggest things that has become an issue here is this is probably the first place in the country where asylum seekers are being moved into a place that have directly displaced Irish people. In practically every other situation they were going into hotels, they were going into convents and other places that were empty.”
Having a building in Cashel capable of housing 74 International Protection Applicants doesn’t necessarily mean that the community can cope with the influx.
Liam Browne says local people need to be involved in discussions on any such proposals.
“When these decisions are made nobody seems to go and find out what impact it’s going to have either on the resources themselves or more importantly the local community around them. It seems to be that somebody goes up and says ‘look I have a property I can take ten people’ and somebody in Dublin goes ‘brilliant – ten people, off you go’. There’s nobody comes down to a local community and finds out – you know a building can take ten people but the local community may not be able to.”
