A community development group in Co Clare has sought an urgent meeting with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to discuss supports needed for Ukrainian refugees being accommodated in the area.
In a letter to Minister Roderic O'Gorman this week, Ballyvaughan Community Development Group has called for a "halt" to the requests of accommodation in the small north Clare village and says that services in the area are "full to capacity".
The village has a resident population of 300 people. Since March that number has grown to 700 with the addition of Ukrainian refugees in the area.
Last week, Ballyvaughan Community Development Group appealed to the Department to engage with the community if more refugees were being sent there.
Robert Wainright, Joint Chairman of Ballyvaughan Community Development Group said the local community will always welcome refugees and do what they can "but there is a limit to what any community can cater for".
He said they were made aware that a further 22 refugees were to be accommodated in Ballyvaughan this week, but there had been no contact from the Department with the local community group.
Mr Wainright added: "This small rural community can only cater for a certain number of people wheather they are residents or guests to the area."
In the community group's correspondence to the Minister they stated "the local community is becoming increasingly frustrated and angry with the lack of Government support and the lack of communication between IPAS and the local community".
The local school in Ballyvaughan has experienced a significant increase in pupil numbers since last April. The small school had 26 pupils on its roll book in March but numbers have more than doubled since then.
A statement from the board of management said that the school’s financial resources are at "saturation point" and their capitation funding has not increased since last year despite the substantial increase in pupil numbers.
"The lack of financial support to the school is putting huge stain on our resources to meet the needs of the pupils", a spokesperson on behalf of the school's board of management said.
In a response the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said: "Since February, almost 37,500 people who have fled the crisis in Ukraine have sought accommodation from the State, alongside 15,000 International Protection applicants currently requiring accommodation.
"While the Department will continue to engage with Local Authorities in respect of accommodation of Ukrainian BOTPs, demands are such that accommodation may be brought on stream at very short notice and arrangements need to be put in place immediately.
"As such, the Department is now accommodating more than 51,000 people, compared to 7,500 this time last year."
