The Justice Minister has said she is considering taking Ukrainian refugees into her own home.
On Lunchtime Live this afternoon, Helen McEntee confirmed that over 2,500 Ukrainian’s fleeing the Russian invasion have now arrived in Ireland.
She said she is “not surprised at all” to hear that over 9,000 have already offered to take Ukrainian refugees into their homes through the official portal.
Asked whether she would consider doing the same she said: “I’ll be honest; it is something I have discussed with my husband.”
“I think it is a very personal decision that everybody has to take,” she said.
“You have to consider what you have available – is it a spare room? Is it something bigger? How many people can you accommodate?
“I think people are still having those conversations and seeing how they can help and, if they can’t offer accommodation, is there something else they can do?
“So yes, it is something I am considering.”
People arriving from Ukraine in need of our help can immediately get the documents they need to stay here and access supports at our new @DublinAirport reception centre.@HHumphreysFG and I saw the great work underway by Departments, the DAA and companies working together. 🇮🇪 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/I5FaknkEWa
— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) March 9, 2022
She said “those kinds of questions and those types of offers” now have to be processed – noting that people will have to be matched with suitable offers.
“You are not going to send potentially a family of three or four people or a mother and her children to somebody who only has a room,” she said.
“So all of that is being worked through at the moment.”
Minister McEntee said she was "not surprised at all" to hear that so many Irish people had offered to open up their homes.
“I have to say I am getting texts at all hours from people wanting to offer a room, offer accommodation - maybe an apartment they might have - or people offering other types of accommodation or supports or help.
“The fact that number has jumped so quickly - and I think we expect it to probably be at the 10,000 mark by the end of the day - I am really not surprised.
“Anybody I have met, the response is the same – how can we help? We want to help.”
She said the situation facing the people of Ukraine is “just atrocious”, noting that she believes Irish people are determined to help.
The minister noted that two-thirds of the people arriving in from Ukraine were female and one third were male. One-third of total are children.
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