Carlow County Council is appealing to those who have unoccupied properties to offer them as temporary homes for those fleeing war in Ukraine.
The renewed call is part of a government initiative, led by local authorities, to make use of unoccupied houses, apartments or holiday homes to house Ukrainian people and families.
More than 70,000 people have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine seeking safety and the vast majority need accommodation.
Under the ‘Offer a Home’ programme, Carlow County Council will take offers of houses, apartments or holiday homes for temporary accommodation, liaise with owners to assess suitability, and arrange for their use by Ukrainian people and families.
Property owners can offer homes at gov.ie/offerahome or by contacting Carlow County Council where the property is located.
Those who offer a property can expect to be contacted by Carlow County Council within 5 working days of making their offer and an assessment of the property will be carried out by the Carlow County Council shortly after. The assessment is to ensure the property is habitable and to get some details so it can be matched to the most appropriate person or family.
Anybody who offers a property will be able to check the status of their offer at any stage through the website gov.ie/offerahome.
This is a call for stand-alone properties that are not occupied by others. It should be noted that the properties must have their own entrance door and facilties for independent living. This is not a call for properties that would be shared with the owner or others. Properties should be in liveable condition and, ideally, available for at least 6 months.
While rent will not be payable to those who offer properties, a tax-free recognition payment of €800 per month is available from the Department of Social Protection to those who offer accommodation to Ukrainians.
Appealing to the people of County Carlow to offer unused properties, Michael Rainey, Interim Chief Executive said: “The welcome Irish people, and in particular the people of County Carlow, have shown to those arriving from Ukraine has been exceptional, and Carlow County Council is thankful to those who have already offered homes. I know that people are very anxious to help where they can, so Carlow County Council is appealing to anybody who has a suitable property and hasn’t been able to offer it before now to please consider getting in touch with us to find out what is involved.
“I understand that it can be daunting to offer a property to someone you don’t know. That is why Carlow County Council will work with you throughout the process and be there to offer support while your property is being used. If you have a property that is otherwise going to be empty over the coming months, please consider offering it for those who badly need a safe home for a while.”
To offer a property or for more information, visit gov.ie/offerahome. Pledges of shared accommodation should be made through the Irish Red Cross.
