As 16,000 Irish lie homeless – The Irish govt has spent over €1 billon on Accommodating Migrants looking for Asylum

New data released by Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth Norma Foley shows that the average daily expenditure for housing IP applicants is €2.75 million.

The €1.005 billion spent on IP applications last year represented a 54% increase over the €651.75 million handed out in 2023, according to data given to Aontú head Peadar Tóibín, reports RTE.

According to Ms. Foley, the State has spent €2.5 billion since the beginning of 2019 to accommodate IP applicants, and the €1 billion spent last year is more than the €129 million distributed in 2019.

She informed Mr. Tóibín that the average cost of housing individual IP applicants in 2024 was €84 per day, which was 9% more than the 2023 average of €76.80 per day, reports RTE.

According to Ms. Foley’s written response, the spending covers all lodging as well as auxiliary expenses including facilities management and other associated fees.

She said: “The average cost per night fluctuates due to a wide range of factors, including the number of residents and the nature of the type of accommodation centres developed and contracted with,” reports RTE.

Nigerians make up the largest group of IPAS residents (6,914), according to the most recent International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) data. Georgia comes in second with 3,072, Algeria with 2,733, Somalia with 2,388, Zimbabwe with 2,209, Jordan with 2,157, Afghanistan with 1,715, Pakistan with 1,656, Bangladesh with 1,373, and South Africa with 1,249.

The IPAS data indicates that South Africa, Georgia, and Algeria have been designated as “Safe Countries,” while the remaining 694 are from the occupied Palestinian territories, reports RTE.

“It is important to note that in the period from 2022 onwards, numbers of international protection applicants increased sharply, and creating an increase in overall costs directly related to this increase,” Ms. Foley said in reference to the rising expenses of hosting IP applicants, reports RTE.

For example, in the end of 2021, IPAS accepted little over 7,000 persons, but today, about 33,000 IP candidates are accommodated, according to Ms. Foley.

According to her, around 9,000 of the people being housed today are families with children, reports RTE.

Ms Foley pointed out that “providing reception conditions – accommodation and other basic supports – to people seeking IP is part of Irish and EU law, and is also part of our humanitarian duty to provide shelter to people fleeing war and persecution in their home country”, reports RTE.

She said: “At the moment, over 90% of all IPAS accommodation is provided commercially. A small proportion of our accommodation is provided on State-owned sites, but the development of a sustainable accommodation system over the coming months and years will see less reliance on commercial providers over time,” reports RTE.

In a separate written Dáil reply, Ms. Foley informed Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy that the State has disbursed €239 million to 22,399 lodging providers in this area since the beginning of 2022 in order to house 49,840 BOTP (Benefits of Temporary Protection) under a program designed to accommodate Ukrainians.

The €239 million compensation is made possible by the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP), a €800 monthly payment made to those who are housing an individual or individuals who entered Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, reports RTE.

Currently, more than 15,500 hosts are housing almost 36,000 BOTPs in more than 19,000 lodgings, according to Ms. Foley.

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