Ireland is winding down one of the largest emergency responses in its history — housing more than 125,000 people fleeing war in Ukraine. Thousands have been living in hotels, guesthouses, and private homes under State-supported schemes. Now, the Government wants to scale it back.  

Contracts with accommodation providers are ending, and payments to households are being reduced. But billions of euro have already been spent. A handful of private companies were paid a sizeable chunk of that money. And as the State pulls away, it faces a new problem — large legal bills from developers heavily invested in projects that were later cancelled. 

Meanwhile, the wider housing system remains under intense pressure. Rents are high, supply is tight, and the question at the heart of it all is: if State support is reduced… where are people supposed to go? 

On today's podcast, Ciara Doherty talks to Niall Sargent, Current Affairs Correspondent with The Currency. 

🎧 If you want to understand how we got here… it’s worth going back to an earlier Newstalk Daily — Profiting from Protection: Who’s Made Millions from Refugee Housing? 

That episode digs into the money behind the system — the companies, the contracts, and the billions in public spending that built what we’re now trying to unwind. 

You can find it now on GoLoud: 

https://www.goloudplayer.com/episodes/profiting-from-protection-whos-m-NWY4YzVmMDg3NDQyNzkwZGY4MDNjM2EzNmEyOWFhZmE= 

📰 And if you want to stay across this story, Niall Sargent’s reporting is essential reading. You can follow his work here: 

https://thecurrency.news/