Student Accommodation Houses To Be Used For Refugees If Empty For Previous Year

The Government have reached an agreement to ensure that student accommodation can only be used to shelter refugees, if it has been empty for the previous 12 months.

A protocol was agreed between the Department of Further and Higher Education and the Department of Integration, stating that purpose-built student accommodation will not be considered for Ukrainian refugees or asylum seekers, if it has been used in the previous year.

This agreement also states that any student accommodation which is temporarily in use for housing refugees over the Summer months will also be returned to students in early September. This Summer saw 5,000 student bed used to accommodate refugees. 

This agreement has been reached, following controversy over an abandoned proposal to accommodate refugees in a purpose-built student accommodation in Sligo, which was met will strong rejections from local politicians, as well as causing tension between between the Department for Further and Higher Education and Department of Integration. 

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris has stated that while colleges and universities want to help refugees during this humanitarian crisis, it is important that the accommodation is returned to students for September. 

"It is also really important that accommodation built to be student accommodation is used for that purpose. I was very concerned when this was not to be the case in Sligo", said Mr Harris. 

Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman also confirmed that a huge stake of the student accommodation will be returned for its usual purpose in late August/early September.