Tipperary community demand asylum seeker eviction notices to be withdrawn

Last Friday, June 14, a meeting was held in the Church of Ireland Hall in Borrisokane in a bid to seek additional support for 20 families living in the Riverside Apartments direct provision accommodation in Borrisokane who are now facing eviction.

The residents, who first moved into the accommodation in October 2019, were recently informed that they were being evicted with the first ten families due to be moved out of their homes as early as next month.

The reason they are facing eviction is that they have been given ‘Leave to Remain’ status. This means they no long hold refugee status or subsidiary protection and are no longer entitled to live in housing provided by International Protection Accomodation Services (IPAS) because they have been granted permission to stay in Ireland.

The families wish to stay in these apartments and have said that they have no problem paying a fair rent as many of them now work in the community and pay taxes here.They have tried to find alternative accommodation but with the housing crisis ongoing in Ireland, they have struggled and failed to secure anything.

The people of Borrisokane are firmly supporting the people of Riverside Apartments and also want them to be able to stay, so have been helping them to lobby the Government and raise awareness about the issue. In the past five years, these people have assimilated extremely well into the Borrisokane community.

They work in local businesses, their children attend local schools and take part in local sports and activities and the community has come to embrace them as their own.

They are all hoping that by creating enough noise, the Taoiseach will intervene and enable the eviction notices to be withdrawn and arrange a fair deal so the residents can remain in Borrisokane.

The meeting was organised by members of the Borrisokane Liaison Committee who are leading this campaign with the support of County Council members, Cllr Joe Hannigan, Cllr Michael O’Meara and Cllr Seamus Morris. Alan Kelly TD, Jackie Cahill TD, Michael Lowry TD , Minister Anne Rabbitte and Scoil Mhuire Principal Ms Sarah Leahy were all present and spoke to attendees of the meeting. A number of the residents also spoke to the crowd to share their stories.

In a statement made by Alan Kelly TD on Monday morning, he said: “At a public meeting on Friday night we were told that the Department of Justice made an agreement with the people of Borrisokane in November 2019 to ensure the smooth integration of international protection applicants into the town in the Riverside Centre.
“It was a tense time in the country and the people of Borrisokane became exemplary as to how to handle new arrivals.
“Now five years later, as many of these families have got status they are being evicted from their apartments in the town. Where will they go?”
“This is despite the fact that the Government made an agreement with the people of Borrisokane in 2019 that said they would welcome the residents using HAP to stay in their apartments.”
“Now the Government are moving them on because they are refusing to meet with the apartment owners and (instruct them) to take HAP payments in favour of putting in more IPAs in these apartments.”
“Bottom line is that this is all about greed. This is the commercialisation of human beings looking for protection. It is being facilitated by the Government and it is disgusting.”

The owners of the apartments were invited to attend the meeting in Borrisokane on Friday but did not show up.

Cllr Joe Hannigan voiced his own frustration with the property group saying: “The owners of the property group were told that when and if they were to house asylum seekers, that these people were to be allowed to stay if they assimilated well into the community.”
“That was the plan, that was the deal.”
“The owners of the property group didn’t want to do it but they agreed to it.”
“Those apartments were for those people and if I have to lie down on the road outside the property to protest this, I will.”

Speaking to the crowd, one of the residents of Riverside Apartments said, “In 2019, we were welcomed with the warmest smiles.”
“When people ask where I’m from, I tell them I’m from ‘Borris’”.
“We are no longer ‘people of colour’, we are people of Borrisokane.”