The State’s homeless asylum seeker count has surged, reaching 2,454, marking an over 700 rise since the previous week. Weekly tallies show a steady climb in the number of unsettled male asylum seekers, leaping to 2,454 this week from 1,700 a week prior. A portion of these men are resorting to living in makeshift camps, setting up their tents on Dublin’s Mount Street.
The Department of Integration stated that, despite rigorous efforts to find temporary housing, the severe deficiency renders them incapable of providing shelter for every international protection applicant (IPA), a failing system has led to implimenting a triage method for adult males to ensure priority is given to the most at risk.
Volunteers responsible for providing sustenance and gear to the male asylum seekers who are camped outside the International Protection Office (IPO) in Dublin came to the realisation last week that they were at the brink of exhaustion. Supporters of the estimated 170 men camping at Mount Street reported that resources were dwindling and government measures to address this crisis were sporadic, provisional, and improvised. In a letter submitted to Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman last Wednesday, they claimed the ongoing situation near IPO headquarters has become insufferable.
IPAs who haven’t been provided with housing are set to see a temporary €75 increase in their daily spending allowance, bringing it up from its current weekly rate of €38.80 to €113.80, available for all qualifying applicants.