VRMA Administrator
The Irish government is seeking up to 20,000 holiday homes to house Ukrainian refugees by having homeowners register on offerahome.ie before being directed to the relevant local authority in order to streamline the host-refugee matching process. Monthly recognition payments for hosts are also on track to double to €800. Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman and Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien have pledged their support, which includes supplying more resources and staff to expedite the initiative. An internal briefing document seen by The Irish Times indicates more than 65,000 holiday homes in Ireland, yet with most being rented out for direct bookings or on third-party online travel agencies, 20,000 homes was seen as being a more realistic target. There have been protests by residents objecting to housing refugees and asylum seekers en masse in certain places, but O'Gorman and O'Brien said the government had a "moral and legal obligation to provide shelter to people fleeing war" and that "the alternative option is to leave people without homes" in a wartime situation. The U.K. government raised similar issues in August. Although it urged more people to join the Homes for Ukraine program and host refugees, more people were reportedly reluctant to sign up due to the cost of living and the assumed lack of additional financial backing for hosts.
Short Term Rentalz (11/28/22) Paul Stevens
