The State expects to accommodate around 55,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine by the end of next month, the Minister for Integration has said, up from the current number of 46,000.
"Projections are that by the end of the year approximately 72,000 people will have sought the temporary protection status in Ireland," Roderic O'Gorman told the Joint Committee on Children.
As around 80% of applicants seek accommodation, this means that the State expects it will have to house 55,000 people by the year's end.
These figures do not include those who seek asylum in Ireland and travel from countries other than Ukraine.
Mr O'Gorman made his comments as some communities voiced their concerns about a lack of consultation about the housing of refugees and asylum seekers in their areas.
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Yesterday, hundreds of protesters gathered in East Wall in Dublin to protest at the housing of a number of asylum seekers in the old ESB building in the area.
From tomorrow, Minister O'Gorman said that a leaflet drop in East Wall will begin, to inform locals of the numbers of refugees and other issues.
Independent Senator Lynn Ruane said that leafleting does not do enough and that was a need to empower "communities to be part of the humanitarian response".
The issue is being framed that those coming are a threat to those who have less, and she is "concerned" that people in those communities are being "played".
Mr O'Gorman agreed that vetting does not take place outside of employment and so does not apply to those taking up accommodation.
Minister O'Gorman said that he understands that some people in East Wall are "concerned and upset".
He said that "we will do our best to provide reassurance on the various points" that had been raised.
Earlier today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Minister O'Gorman is "engaging with local representatives" in East Wall and will provide more information directly to those communities.
He was responding to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who said that "there hasn't been dialogue, there hasn't been planning" over housing asylum seekers in communities and said the Taoiseach's statement that there must be consultation with those communities is "a major change in Government policy".
"East Wall is a very diverse, very integrated community", she said, but "total unnecessary division and anxiety has been driven by a lack of dialogue and a lack of basic planning".
Separately, a group of Co Kildare residents complaining over a lack of information surrounding plans to accommodate Ukrainian refugees at a former equestrian centre will meet Mr O'Gorman this evening.
They have criticised a lack of information about a proposal to house 350 people in a former equestrian centre on the outskirts of Kill village.
"We're not against Ukrainian refugees, the fact is we have had no communication. We have sent letters to the minister and to other departments but they keep on fobbing us off," said Kill resident Diana Maynard.
She added residents are concerned that there may be plans to put single units on the site and this would appear to go against the claim that the site will be used by women and children.
"We're not racist, we've donated more to Ukraine than many other communities, but what we are against is zero communication and a 10% increase in population," said Ms Maynard.
