The Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has announced the establishment of 3 new city centre hubs to support Ukrainian nationals who have fled the Russian invasion.
The ‘Ukraine Support Centres’ in Dublin, Cork and Limerick will assist Ukrainians in obtaining PPS Numbers, availing of Social Welfare income supports, and receiving referrals to other State services.
Minister Humphreys confirmed that the centres at Cork Street in Dublin 8 and Hanover Quay in Cork City are now open to support families and individuals who have arrived in Ireland.
These centres will be open on Friday, 18 March and on Saturday, 19 March from 9.15am to 3pm. From Monday, 21 March, they will be open from 9.15am to 5pm.
A third hub will be opened in Limerick next week. The opening of these new hubs follows on from the launch last week of a ‘one-stop shop’ in Dublin Airport by Minister Humphreys and Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee.
These centres offer in-person meetings with displaced people to:
- Prioritise the acceptance and processing-to-award of applications for PPS Numbers and income supports.
- Enable the issuance of Temporary Permissions letters as a priority.
- Provide information and referrals to other services.
Representatives from the Citizens Information Service are also available in these hubs to help people from Ukraine with enquiries of a more general nature. Community Welfare Officers are also present to assist with applications for financial support. Interpretation services are available at the Centres.
Ukrainian nationals can also avail of such supports from their local Intreo Centre.
Announcing the opening of the new Ukrainian Support Centres, Minister Humphreys said, “these dedicated hubs in Dublin, Cork and Limerick will ensure that Ukrainian families and individuals who have fled this terrible war can get the supports they need as quickly as possible. My officials are present in these new centres, as well as our Intreo Centres, to assist the Ukrainian people in obtaining the likes of a PPS Number – which is a crucial first step to accessing different services offered by the State.”
“We have already issued over 5,000 PPS Numbers to people who have arrived from Ukraine since the start of the invasion by Russia. We have also provided many families and individuals with income supports such as Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA). I want the people of Ukraine to know that my department is here to help and support you in every way we can. Teams of staff from my department and the Department of Justice will be working over the Bank Holiday period – on Friday and Saturday – to assist the people from Ukraine arriving into Ireland with their immediate needs.”
Minister McEntee commented, “since I lifted the visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens travelling to Ireland on 25 February, almost 7,300 people seeking safety in Ireland have arrived and are being supported as needed. The Temporary Protection Directive has been activated at EU level, for the first time, to grant temporary protection to displaced persons from Ukraine. We have already granted temporary protection to more than 3,000 people, primarily through our reception facility at Dublin Airport. Staff from my department are onsite at the airport from 8am to 3am each day to ensure we are meeting all arrivals.”
“The new hubs being announced by Minister Humphreys and I today, provide new dedicated locations where we can ensure everyone entering the State, no matter which port of entry they arrive at, has an opportunity to receive their temporary permission letter, their PPS Number and income supports.”
“I will continue to work with my EU counterparts on any further EU-wide measures that might be needed to assist those fleeing Ukraine. Given the very extreme pressures being faced by Moldova in the current circumstances, we have also agreed, as part of an EU response, to offer to accept from Moldova up to 500 people who have fled the war in Ukraine.”
