Up to 150 Ukrainian men, women and children are being moved from their Carlow accommodation after a reprieve of one month by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
The residents at a former restaurant known as Toughers several kilometres outside Carlow town were informed by the Department that they must leave the premises due to fire and safety concerns following site inspections by an independent inspections company.
The premise was converted to accommodate Ukrainian International Protection Applicants in 2022 when Russia began their invasion of the country.
The group had been due to move in the week leading up to Christmas but were given an additional month up until the end of this month following discussions by chief executive of Carlow County Council Coilín O’Reilly, the Department and residents.
Mr O’Reilly subsequently wrote to all councillors in Carlow informing them that the current accommodation contract had been extended until January 31st, this year.
However, the residents have been protesting both inside and outside council buildings over the pending move they are opposed to, as many have secured jobs in Carlow and surrounding areas along with their children attending schools and South East Technological University located in the town.
Many of the families are being moved to various parts of the country such as Dublin, Limerick, Wexford, Tipperary and Kilkenny.
A Department spokesperson said their relocations team will be in contact in the next two weeks with the residents to provide details of a “new moving date and the state contracted accommodation that will be provided to those who still need it at the end of January".
“Unfortunately due to the challenges we are facing in Ireland, as a result of the huge numbers of people who have come here seeking accommodation, we cannot respond to requests for accommodation of a certain type or location,” the spokesperson added.
Olah Maxkamov (35) who is six-months-pregnant and her husband Temur (32) along with their five-year-old son, her 90-year-old grandmother, her mother-in-law and pet dog which they brought from Kyiv when they fled Ukraine in August 2022, are one of the families who have received Department correspondence informing them they are being moved to a Bed and Breakfast in Carlow.
Mr Maxkamov, while thankful he and his family were given an extra month to find accommodation in the locality, he explained: “It’s so hard, we’ve been looking for a place to live for more than five months in Carlow and now we’re looking across other counties.”
The Maxkamovs have been told by the Department that if they “refuse this offer of relocation to alternative suitable accommodation” they will not receive further offers from them. The Department also reiterated that they cannot provide accommodation for pets at “future facilities”.
