Kennys

Nov 3, 2022

Local authorities acting primarily independently have matched 15% of pledges received from homeowner while councils assisted by the Peter McVerry Trust and the International Organisation for Migration have matched 16% and 19% respectively. The International Organisation for Migration is assisting many counties with large urban areas which may account for the higher success rates. Clare County Council, which is closely working with Mid-West Simon Community, has matched 22 pledges out of more than 350 offers. Cork County Council received the most pledges by far, but just a fraction of Ukrainians were rehomed. A total of 81 out of 1,194 pledges reviewed by the council were activated. A spokesperson for the Irish Red Cross said it helps all councils with the matchmaking process when requested by local authorities, but it is “spread very thin” across the country. Read More The spokesperson said: “There’s not a great desire among Ukrainians to move from hotels as many have formed small communities with all the necessary amenities and transport provided or close by, and in some rural areas it would not be fair to move people there." In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for the Department of Integration said, “every effort is being made to activate suitable pledge offers and necessary vetting and inspection procedures are completed”. In response to queries about staffing from International Organisation for Migration and Peter McVerry Trust, the spokesperson said it was “unable to provide” this information but said these staff are “not deployed in a fixed manner, and their location changes in relation to the work that needs to be carried out at each locality”. For more information on Helping Irish Hosts, visit helpingirishhosts.com 'I got the impression the council weren't pushed' A couple who offered to house Ukrainian refugees say a “lack of communication” and “higgledy-piggledy” organisation by their local authority caused them to walk away from the State-run scheme Tony and Sheila Kenny say they waited weeks for a phone call after first pledging their home to share in March. Then various staff members of Laois County Council staff and the Irish Red Cross rang them multiple times asking the same questions about their family and property. “At this stage we were actually considering taking our name off the list,” Ms Kennny said. For a brief period, the Kennys housed a Ukrainian woman and her 10-year-old son, but they said the whole process was far from straightforward and little assistance was offered. “They literally dropped her at the driveway,” Ms Kenny said. She said the Ukrainian woman was seriously ill at the time and in need of treatment. While she had the mother and son living with her, the Irish Red Cross rang Ms Kenny twice asking her to host a family – an experience cited by many to the Irish Examiner. After the mother and son left in May for medical treatment in the US, Laois County Council asked if the Kennys would “take a little break” from hosting for a month, Ms Kenny said. “They said, ‘Look, they’re (refugees) not on the side of the street, a lot are in hotels and are not interested to move out’,” Ms Kenny recalled. It seemed like it was too much work, it was just easier to leave them in the hotel. “I got the impression they weren’t really pushed.”  The Kennys have not received any further communication from the council. Ms Kenny said the process was “unbelievably stressful”, “all very disconnected” and made her feel “totally deflated”. “We were watching the news morning, noon and night and saying, ‘What the hell is going on?’. It’s shocking.”  Ms Kenny said another family member pulled out from pledging their accommodation after never being contacted by a State agency Laois County Council did not respond to a request for comment from the Irish Examiner. The Kennys then turned to Helping Irish Hosts , a voluntary organisation made up of hosts and Ukrainians that matches families outside of the State system. They now share their home with a Ukrainian mother and daughter, Katya Shelepova and her daughter Alisa Maneichyk. “I actually have a lady at the end of the phone that will answer any questions,” Ms Kenny said. “It’s just nice to know they’re there… It’s not ‘Press one for this and press two for that’, Helping Irish Hosts are always there… Even down to putting Ukrainian Netflix on the television, they’re so helpful.”  Homeowners who pledged accommodation through the State system aren’t getting the support they need, according to Angie Gough, chief executive and founder of Helping Irish Hosts. She said her charity, which is comprised of a network of more than 520 people, is filling the gaps where local authorities and non-governmental organisations fall short. “Without them,” Ms Kenny said, “I probably wouldn’t be hosting right now.”  Read More