More than 100 asylum seekers now without accommodation

The number of newly arrived asylum seekers who have been left without State-provided accommodation has risen to 109.

The Irish Refugee Council said 12 international protection applicants who had nowhere to stay came to its office today requesting support.

"We remain deeply concerned about this situation," CEO of the Irish Refugee Council Nick Henderson said, "It cannot be normalised and is in clear breach of Irish law."

"People who are presenting to our services are desperate and some (have) health problems that are being made worse by sleeping rough," he said.

According to figures released by the Department of Children, Equality Disability Integration and Youth this evening, 32 asylum seekers were turned away without accommodation over the bank holiday weekend.

It is exactly two weeks since the Government said newly arrived asylum seekers presenting without children would not be offered accommodation, amid a nationwide shortage.

Since 24 January, a total of 212 asylum seekers were not offered accommodation when they presenting seeking refuge.

Of those, 103 have since been offered accommodation while 109 remain without.

Last Thursday, Minister Roderic O'Gorman wrote to Government departments urgently seeking buildings "to enable us to meet our international and humanitarian obligations to shelter those arriving in Ireland seeking refuge here".

Mr Henderson said one of the IRC's clients has been without any State-provided accommodation for over a week.

Mr Henderson wrote to the three Government Ministers for Integration, Housing and Justice on 24 January asking how the situation would be managed and monitored and what supports those effected would have access to, and Mr Henderson said they "still don't have any answers".

Those who arrive to the International Protection Office to apply for asylum and who are not offered accommodation are given the address of the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin.

The centre's manager, Alan Bailey, said he has seen a noticeable increase in the use of the centre's services since the introduction of the policy two weeks ago.

Mr Bailey said they catered for 675 people for dinner today, the highest number ever.

He said that he has noticed a gradual increase in the demand for food, hygiene and medical services over the last two weeks, with more and more "new faces" presenting.

Mr Bailey said he could not say how many were definitely asylum seekers, as they do not ask where people come from or why they are in need of the centre's services.

Instead, they work to make everyone who comes to the centre feel welcome.

Mr Bailey said they are preparing to hand out 1,300 food parcels tomorrow, up from 1,100 a couple of weeks ago.

Last week, the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland put out a call for volunteers and a small number of people were accommodated temporarily with them.

Co-founder of MASI Lucky Khambule said that they "don't have the funds or the resources" to put people up in hostels or hotels.

He said that the people who contacted him "experienced fear and anxiety" and "didn't know where they were going to sleep."

Mr Khambule said that "often the first option that people have is to return to the airport" to shelter there.

He said that all of those that that MASI supported last week have since been accommodated in temporary accommodation at the Citywest Transit Hub in Dublin.

A spokesperson for Simon Community Dublin has said that its outreach services have not noticed an increase in the number of people sleeping rough in the city.