Options to use Mayo community centres for arriving Ukrainians being examined

COMMUNITY centres to facilitate people arriving in Mayo from Ukraine are being identified.

To date, accommodation needs have been reliant on the hotel sector but that is becoming more difficult.

Clarification on the use of community centres was requested at a meeting of Mayo County Council this week following a circular that they be used as part of the emergency situation unfolding.

Director of services Tom Gilligan said this is a fluid situation. The number of people coming in have slightly lessened in recent days but are still significant.

He explained how last weekend they had to find 75 additional emergency beds, with another 75 to be sourced by midweek.

Policy until now has been reliant on the hotel sector and he thanked the providers for their help, but said the reality is we are coming into the tourism season and many are booked out, making it more difficult.

Community halls to provide emergency beds, with wraparound services like feeding people, laundry and washing facilities are being identified.

It is an extremely difficult situation, said Mr. Gilligan, and with the housing crisis and the number of rental properties very low, there was concern out there about where they would house the people coming from Ukraine.

“We have to show solidarity,” he said, “and we have a moral obligation to do this.”

Options were being looked at as regards vacant homes and holiday homes too, he added.

In response to Councillor Christy Hyland's question about the emergency situation, he said they were looked at a place in Westport and it probably won't be the only one. There will be other centres they will be looking at across the county as they try to deal with the situation as quickly as they can.