Ireland is gradually phasing out housing payments for Ukrainian refugees

In Ireland, officials plan to gradually phase out the financial support program for people who provide housing to Ukrainians, and also reduce the use of hotels for their accommodation.

This was reported by the Irish Times.

The measure concerns the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) program — a monthly tax-free payment to people who host Ukrainians in their homes.

Under the government’s plan, the payment will be reduced from €600 to €400 per month. The program itself will be extended until March 2027, but it will be gradually wound down.

The government says the program is already “approaching its end,” and that its reduction will happen step by step.

The ARP was introduced in 2022 after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At present, around 42,000 Ukrainians are housed under the program, more than 23,500 housing units are being used, and the monthly cost of the program is €14.5 million.

Initially, the payment was €400, then in December 2022 it was raised to €800, and later reduced to €600.

Irish authorities explain the changes by citing several reasons: the need to gradually move Ukrainians toward independent living, and the impact of the program on the rental housing market.

In particular, the government believes the payments may have encouraged property owners to stop renting out housing on the open market in favor of participating in the program.

It is also noted that the tax-free nature of the payments in some cases made them more attractive than standard rental income.

New rules came into effect on March 1:

• Housing that had been rented out before 2022 can no longer participate in the program.
• Payments are now kept only for those who provide rooms in their own homes or a second home that was not previously part of the rental market.

Separately, the government announced its intention to gradually stop housing Ukrainians in hotels, in order to return those places to the tourism sector.

At the moment, there are 531 contracts in effect for accommodating Ukrainians — including hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs — covering about 22,450 places.

According to the government, about 19,200 Ukrainians are currently living in state-provided accommodation. In November 2023, that figure had reached 60,000.

Newly arrived Ukrainians receive temporary accommodation in state centers for up to 30 days.

It is worth recalling that Poland recently carried out a large-scale operation against illegal migration, during which more than 140 foreigners were detained, including dozens of Ukrainians. Some of them have already received decisions ordering their forced return to their home country.