Job hunt 'impossible' for Ukrainians with disabilities

Organisations supporting Ukrainian refugees in Ireland have warned of a potential rise in homelessness due to the withdrawal by the Government of State accommodation.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has estimated that there will be a projected reduction of €430 million in accommodation spending for Ukrainians in 2027, equivalent to 71% and the process of ending over 140 accommodation contracts is currently under way.

The Government transition away from temporary protection has raised concern for Ukrainian refugees who have disabilities in particular.

Pavlo Romaniuk and Yuliia Nahaiets arrived in Ireland three years ago under the EU's temporary protection programme.

Ms Nahaiets, who lost her vision at the age of six when she was involved in a car crash, worked as a teacher in Ukraine at a school for blind children.

Mr Romaniuk, who is visually impaired since birth, worked in telesales.

Both have master's degrees and are highly qualified.

In 2023, the Ukrainian couple were assigned accommodation in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, because it was one that accepted animals.

The couple had travelled with their guide dog Amigo who accompanied them on the journey from Ukraine.

He is their family and greatly loved.

Mr Romaniuk and Ms Nahaiets both worked hard in Lisdoonvarna to progress themselves and integrate by completing English classes and passing their Cambridge exams, level B1.

Following this milestone, they were ready to get jobs; focusing their search on Limerick city to avail of public transport and shops.

They quickly realised the significance of the accommodation crisis and moved between Lisdoonvarna and Limerick a number of times.

Being a blind couple, with a guide dog in tow, did not make it easy for landlords to consider them.

Despite their educational qualifications, getting a job as a disabled person with English as a second language proved difficult.

They tried the Department of Social Protection's recruitment and support programme Employ Ability which helps disabled people to find and maintain employment, but to no avail.

Mr Romaniuk describes the experience as "impossible".

"When I just applied to community employment scheme, I go to the interview, it's absolutely perfect. Everyone is happy. But they have some questions like, we have four steps in front of our office, will it be a problem?

"I explained, no, it's not a problem. We just went from Ukraine to Ireland."

Then when the feedback arrived, he was considerably disappointed to be told another person had a better skill set.

"Could you tell me what skill set they are talking about if the community planning scheme was made for those who would like to get their basic skill set?"

Last week, the Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary launched the Intreo Disability Work and Skills Week, a nationwide programme of events aimed at connecting disabled people with employers, training opportunities and workplace supports.

The employment of people with disabilities has been a focus of the Minister since he took up the role, but it is clear that professionals like Mr Romaniuk and Ms Nahaiets are not breaking through to some employers.

The pair, who are on blind pensions, are keen to work and gain independence.

They also have to feed and buy medicine for Amigo who, it was discovered when he was a relatively young dog, that he has a heart condition.

"We had to wait three months just to meet the requirements to be able to bring Amigo to the European Union.

"When he was about two and a half years, he had issues with his heart, unfortunately. So from that time and up to now, he uses medications to decrease his blood pressure. Because it was really too high, he works anyway, he's our guide dog, he's our family," Mr Romaniuk said.

Doras CEO John Lannon helped the couple when they were in Limerick.

His view is that Mr Romaniuk and Ms Nahaiets's experience reflects wider problems facing people who have fled Ukraine and are now living here under temporary protection.

"The Government here in Ireland committed to stand by Ukraine and to stand by Ukrainians. But right now, for the Ukrainians who are here, it feels like abandonment," he said.

According to the Ukraine Civil Society Forum, which is a group of over 120 organisations working with refugees, 14,839 Ukrainians were living in State-contracted accommodation on 13 October, including about 2,500 in modular and rapid-build homes.

Irish Red Cross figures say 38,860 Ukrainians were being accommodated through the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme, a decrease of 1,023 people compared with the previous month. That scheme is also due to end in March.

They were staying in 21,776 properties nationwide, a decrease of 661.

There is no data for the total number of Ukrainians with disabilities living in Ireland

The Government, which says disability is a core priority, has been called upon to pause for a moment and think about a cohort that needs more time and consideration rather than deadlines.

It has made no secret of its deadline in ending accommodation contracts as part of its policy of reducing state-provided housing for people who arrived from Ukraine; over 140 are due to end between 18 October and the end of November.

While some people who are considered vulnerable may be offered continued accommodation, the Ukraine Civil Society Forum has pointed out that they will lose access to social protection payments, including disability allowance and Carer’s Allowance, if accepted.

National Coordinator Brian Killoran said this could undermine efforts to help people become independent and make it harder for them to find alternative housing.

Therefore, he said the Government needed to continue supporting people with additional needs rather than expect everyone to become self-sufficient within a fixed timeframe.

Mr Killoran said that despite the Minister for Justice referring to the limited number of homelessness presentations among Ukrainians, accommodation contracts had not begun ending at that point and warned that the consequences would become clearer in the coming months.

The Department of Justice did not respond to Mr Kiloran's prediction and also chose not to reveal how many Ukrainians had been approved ongoing accommodation.

"The application window for people fleeing the war in Ukraine, currently residing in State contracted commercial accommodation, to demonstrate a need for ongoing accommodation was open from 4 August to 11 September 2026," it said.

The process to determine who meets the criteria for the provision of such accommodation is still ongoing and is expected to continue for several weeks yet."

More than 31,000 Ukrainians are in employment in Ireland, according to figures cited by the Ukraine Civil Society Forum which has criticised the Government’s temporary protection transition scheme, announced on 30 September, intended to provide eligible Ukrainians with a pathway to Irish immigration status.

The eligibility criteria include an income threshold and restrictions on applicants who depend on state accommodation.

Mr Killoran pointed out that the requirements which include earning over €29,000 a year, would exclude many people who had fled the war and were still trying to establish themselves in Ireland.

Mr Romaniuk and Ms Nahaiets described the salary stipulation as discriminatory and have questioned how Ireland as an EU country is upholding human rights by introducing such a policy.

They have written to the EU Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty, as well as President Catherine Connolly and numerous opposition TDs and Senators, to express their dismay and outrage over the Government's actions.

"It looks like our diploma, our degree, our degrees means nothing, our certificates of QQI Level 5, English with distinction, means nothing. Only what means for the Government? Just money," according to Mr Romaniuk.

"If the Government can do such things with disabled refugees, the question is when they will try to do something also awful with their own citizens," he added.