The coalition leaders will consider a plan this evening, from the Minister for Housing, on how to provide more accommodation to people from Ukraine who are fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion.
Latest figures show that 25,173 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland as of yesterday morning.
Of that number, 16,788 have been provided with accommodation by the State. However, it is expected around 33,000 Ukrainian refugees will have arrived by the end of next month.
Minister Darragh O'Brien's plan, which goes to Cabinet tomorrow, seeks to speed-up the assessment and refurbishment of both State and privately owned large vacant properties which could house refugees.
It is understood that 529 buildings are currently under consideration and more than 100 are viewed as having the capacity to come on-stream in the "very short term".
It is believed Mr O'Brien's memo seeks to streamline the management of how such large vacant properties can be processed and become operational.
An inter-departmental committee has already been established to oversee the management of the plan.
The minister is also considering how emergency powers, already available to him under existing legislation, can be used to fulfil planning and procurement requirements.
A senior source told RTÉ News that the provision of modular homes will be "part of the plan" brought to Cabinet tomorrow.
The Government is keen to ensure that the work to assist Ukrainian refugees does not come at the expense of people who are on housing waiting lists or in emergency accommodation.
Mr O'Brien said he has expanded an acquisition programme to enable local authorities to have greater flexibilities to acquire certain homes.
In addition, over the past two years around 6,000 empty social homes were brought back into use and it is hoped the so-called 'voids programme' will continue to bring new accommodation on stream.
Mr O'Brien has previously said that he expects Ireland will have to build an additional 33,000-35,000 homes, over a five-year period, to deal with the demand for housing posed by the need to help people from Ukraine.
However Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, has said the Government must be "honest" and accept their housing plan - Housing For All - has been "overtaken by events".
Deputy Ó Broin has argued that the State needs "a more ambitious plan" that meets the housing needs of "the homeless to refugees and all in between".
Asked about the 'voids programme', the Department of Housing issued a statement saying "the use of the voids social housing programme is a wider social housing matter and not specific to Ukraine. An expanded programme will aim to alleviate pressure on the housing system".
"Since 2014, Exchequer funding has also been provided through the Department's voids programme to supplement the funding available for the preparation of vacant properties for re-letting. The funding was introduced originally to tackle long-term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock.
"From 2014 to 2021, expenditure of some €261m was recouped to local authorities under the voids programme which funded the return to productive use of 18,527 properties nationwide," the statement added.
IRC aims to contact all people who offered shared accommodation by Thursday
Meanwhile, the Irish Red Cross has said that it aims to have called everyone who has offered shared accommodation to Ukrainian people arriving in Ireland by 28 April.
All those who have pledged a vacant property through the organisation has already been contacted.
To date, 25,027 pledges of accommodation have been made.
Of these 5,764 pledges were vacant properties, 17,669 were offers of shared accommodation, and 878 were duplicate pledges.
156 pledges were withdrawn because the people offering had already taken in a person or family in an informal way.
559 offers of shared accommodation were made for a duration of one month only.
Almost 4,000 offers of accommodation have so far been withdrawn, while the organisation has been unable to contact a further 1,000 pledgers.
The Irish Red Cross says that 1,900 vacant properties have been sent to the Department of Children for placement, while a further 4,040 offers of shared accommodation are ready for garda vetting and/or placement for adults only, but have not yet been sent to the department.
In addition to these accommodation pledges from the public, the State is also securing other accommodation.
Through the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), around 11,500 beds in hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs have been contracted.
A spokesperson for the Department of Children said that additional capacity is also being pursued through hostels, commercial self-catering accommodation, religious properties and local authority facilities.
The spokesperson said it is not currently possible to provide a specific breakdown of accommodation types.
Of the 25,000 Ukranian people to have arrived in Ireland since the beginning of the war, the department says around 16,600 have sought State provided accommodation.
It said that IPAS is continuing to adapt to accommodate the unprecedented numbers arriving.
"Of the arrivals from Ukraine to date, approximately two-thirds are female, and one third are male. Approximately one-third of the arrivals are minors under the age of 18," a spokesperson said.
Additional reporting: Sandra Hurley, Laura Hogan
