Birr facility to accommodate 88 asylum seekers
A former nursing home in Birr, which then housed people fleeing the war in Ukraine, will now be used to accommodate 88 asylum seekers.
The new use for Elm Grove House in Syngefield, Birr, was confirmed in a briefing note provided to public representatives yesterday (Monday) and shared by Laois-Offaly TD Carol Nolan.
The briefing note, prepared by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, stated that 88 beds in 21 rooms would be provided at Elm Grove House for families of asylum seekers - formally known as international protection applicants.
The Department said a two-year contract had been signed with the centre.
The "arrival of people into the centre" is to be managed by the Department, while "all statutory requirements relating to the establishment and management" of the accommodation facility are to be met by the service provider.
The Department outlined how the facility had previously operated as a nursing home, and was then used as accommodation for arrivals from Ukraine.
The decision to move the Ukrainian residents out of the facility had been opposed by the residents themselves and by some members of the local community, including Green Party local election candidate Ekaterina Koneva, who raised the matter with Minister Roderic O'Gorman.
The use of the facility as accommodation for Ukrainian residents ceased at "the end of May 2024" according to the Department.
The briefing note given to public representatives this week stated that the Birr facility was "situated in a country parkland setting in a prime location, only a short drive and walking distance from the centre of Birr".
The Department added that the property was "owned and operated by Coolebridge Ltd," which would have "at least two members of staff on-site 24 hours a day".
It said the length of time for which individuals would be accommodated at the facility was uncertain.
"It is not possible to say with certainty what the length of stay will be, having regard to the number of international protection applicants arriving in Ireland and the scarcity of alternative accommodation. A two-year contract has been signed with the provider," said the Department.
As of July 8, the State was accommodating a total of 31,375 international protection applicants, and it said 10,558 people had arrived in Ireland seeking refuge so far in 2024.
The number of new arrivals this year looks set to surpass the 12,281 international protection protection applicants who arrived in Ireland over the course of 2023.