Offers of Accommodation for Ukrainian Refugees Crashes Red Cross Website

An online portal for offers of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees crashed last night as it was unable to cope with the demand.

The portal, which you can find at www.RedCross.ie/pledge, is now back up and running.

Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross Liam O'Dwyer said the organisation has received more than 4,000 pledges since the portal was set up at the weekend.

O'Dwyer said that anyone who registers a pledge will be contacted within two weeks.

Accommodation for incoming refugees from Ukraine is being managed by a newly established unit of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Refugees are expected to initially be housed in hotels until long term accommodation can be found.

"We've had about maybe 2,200 people, Ukrainian refugees, arrive in Ireland since the 26th of February and of those about two-thirds are being housed with family members," said Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O'Gorman. "We are right now looking at sourcing hotel accommodation and we've significantly expanded our capacity of hotel accommodation for [the] short term."

"Hotel accommodation is the short-term response, but we recognise that there is going to need to be a long-term response as well," he added. "So right now, my department is working in conjunction with all other government departments at looking at the range of long-term accommodation options that are open to us."

O'Gorman confirmed that any Ukrainians arriving in Ireland will receive the same rights as EU citizens.

"We're very clear Ukrainians will not be going into the direct provision system," he said. "They don't need to because of the Temporary Protection Directive that was activated by all the EU member States last Thursday."