The Town Hotel, formerly known as O’Loughlin’s Hotel in Portlaoise, is no longer housing Ukrainian refugees.
The news was confirmed by Interim CEO of Laois County Council, Simon Walton, at Monday’s meeting of Laois County Council.
Writing in the monthly management report, Mr Walton explained how Ukrainians left the hotel in Mid-July.
The Town Hotel opened to the public in September 2020 but was closed in 2022 to solely house people from Ukrain.
But now the contract for this between the hotel and the Department of Children, Equality, Integration, Disability and Youth has ended.
Mr Walton explained: “The Town Hotel, Portlaoise is no longer under contract with DCEDIY (Department of Children, Equality, Integration, Disability and Youth) and was vacated mid-July.
“Approximately 60% of the Ukrainian residents there were in continuing need of state supported accommodation and were provided with alternative accommodation elsewhere.
“The remaining 40% secured accommodation privately or were assisted by Council staff in securing accommodation locally, under ‘Offer A Home’.
“Laois County Council continues to assist DCEDIY in the sourcing of temporary accommodation for Ukrainian displaced persons, providing liaison locally in relation to vacant buildings and sites suitable for medium to long term accommodation solutions.
“The Council’s Integration Support Office continues to deliver its programmes for the coordination of service delivery and integration supports to all those in need of such services.
“Onsite one to one clinics continue, relevant training is arranged and provided and open to other local service providers to attend, and liaison with DCEDIY is ongoing.
“Events and activities for children in the various emergency accommodation centres throughout the county are currently being arranged and scheduled by the Integration Office, in conjunction with other CIF member agencies, over the school holiday period.”
71 Ukraine families have been helped to source temporary accommodation locally through the Offer a Home scheme.
This is still taking applications and pays homeowners to take in Ukrainians to their homes.
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