Around 110 Ukrainian refugees who have been living at a former holiday village in Wicklow for around two years have been told they will be relocated in just over two weeks' time.
People living at The Avon in Blessington were issued with a letter from the Department of Integration telling them they will be relocated by 7 February.
They were also told that the department cannot guarantee they can stay in or near the area, that pets cannot be accommodated and they will have 48 hours' notice in advance of the transfer.
Many have set up lives in the Blessington area, where they have jobs and their children are in school.
Viktoria, who lives at The Avon with her daughter and works locally, appealed to the Government and the site's providers to allow them to stay and pay rent on the properties they currently live in, rather than relocating them.
"Many Ukrainians lost their homes, here people found their second home and finally felt protected. Don't make them lose it all again," she said.
This February marks three years since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
As of 19 December last, 111,389 PPS numbers had been given to Ukrainians Under Temporary Protection.
However, the CSO estimates that around 25% of those people have since left the country.
The Department of Integration is now ending accommodation contracts as the demand decreases and where there are vacancies at contracted accommodation sites.
In some cases, the providers are ending contracts themselves to return to the private sector, or to offer their accommodation for other uses.
Olha has lived at The Avon with her daughter since 2023.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said: "I'm working. I'm volunteering. I finished my Level 4; I took eight courses in IT skills. I'm working under Community Employee Programme. I'm working with people with intellectual disabilities."
She said the community is the best and a part of her life and her young daughter loves her school and her teacher.
St Mary's Junior School is one of a number in the area and has 36 children who are either Ukrainian or from families under International Protection. Six of the children live at The Avon.
St Mary's principal Carmel Dillon said neither students nor staff want to see these children taken out of the school and relocated.
"I'm devastated. Not just because we have gotten to know these children and they have endeared themselves to us and to our school community, but I'm upset and worried for them because of the impact this will have on them and on their families."
Ms Dillon said the children are usually very timid at first, but "they are so keen and so interested, so they blossom."
She described how one of the school's staff is faced with relocation.
"We have a cleaner from the Ukraine. Ludmila has been with us for a long time and she's been fantastic. And now all of a sudden she is being faced with relocation, so therefore she won't be able to continue her job with us".
"But also we will be making appointments for SNA support for the children with additional needs for English as an additional language, but those appointments can't be guaranteed because as the numbers of children drop then the allocation drops ... so there is a lot of uncertainty."
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In a statement regarding the Blessington site, the Department of Integration said the need for accommodation for international protection applicants is increasing and the provider at The Avon has expressed an interest in providing accommodation for international protection.
The owners operate under Arturo Ventures Unlimited, and the directors are linked to several other accommodation centres for asylum seekers, including Kippure, which approximately 15 minutes from The Avon.
They have been contacted for comment but have yet to respond.
Local independent councillor Jason Mulhall said it is a human rights issue.
"I think it's deeply troubling for me and a lot of people, that financial motives appear to be prioritised over the well-being of vulnerable people who've already endured immense hardship, for me, this is not just a policy issue, it's a humanitarian issue.
"I'd really urge our Government and elected representatives to intervene and to prevent this displacement," he said.
Ukrainian residents at The Avon are left with a few options; they can find their own rental accommodation or source accommodation through the Red Cross or their Local Authority.
Currently, there are no rental properties available to rent in Blessington itself, with just five properties in the surrounding areas with prices ranging from €2,000 to €3,500 per month.
If they want to continue in State-provided accommodation they must be at the new location on the date specified or it will be considered an automatic refusal, and no further offers will be made.
The department said every effort will be made to keep the Avon residents as close to their current location as possible.
