Tipp home to 2,000 Ukrainian refugees

There are now approximately 2,000 Ukrainian refugees resident in County Tipperary.

Tipperary Co Council has been helping to provide accommodation for those fleeing the war in Ukraine. This is being done through the council's Housing, Civil Defence and Community & Enterprise sections, as well as Local Development Companies in addition to support from key community groups.

Two temporary rest facilities in the county have supported 1,387 arrivals. 231 Ukrainians have been housed in Irish Red Cross pledged properties, subsequently managed by Tipperary Co Council. These include both vacant and shared units.

The Offer a Home pledged property, fully managed by the council, has facilitated the provision of 275 Ukrainians housed in 86 properties with a further eight properties in the process of being assigned.

There are some 30 commercial operators in the county and council housing staff actively support the residents in these facilities to integrate into the broader community. The council is also actively engaging with and supporting the Department of Housing to identify appropriate properties that can be refurbished to accommodate additional Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) on an interim basis. A number of such properties are currently under consideration.

Elsewhere, 62 modular homes are to be provided on an OPW site at Gortataggart, Thurles. It was anticipated that homes would be tenanted by mid-July and the allocation assessment process has commenced.

COMMUNITY CAR INITIATIVE

The council is also running a community car initiative to assist those Ukrainians living in locations not on a transport route to access services.

The council works closely with other agencies such as the HSE, Department of Social Protection, An Garda Síochána, Dept of Education, Local Development Companies, etc, in assisting the families housed and Ukrainians generally to integrate with the local communities, and to access the necessary health, educational and other supports. To this end, the CEO of the council convenes a high level Community Forum Group, which meets monthly and includes all the relevant agencies, to track and ensure the provision of support and integration services for the Ukrainians.

In recognition of the welcome provided by communities to the arrival of those fleeing the war in the Ukraine, the Community Recognition Fund was introduced by Government to provide funding for projects in the areas where large numbers of Ukrainians were housed.

Grants in the amount of some €980,000 were recently allocated to such communities across the county for such projects.