‘Nowhere to go’ say Ukrainian families who face being moved out of former East Cork holiday village

More than 500 Ukrainian residents in the former Trabolgan holiday village in East Cork, say they have “nowhere to go” after being told they will soon have to leave the facility they call home.

Residents received a short email from Trabolgan management recently saying that a phased wind-down of State contracted commercial accommodation will commence in the coming weeks.

“Advance notice will be given to all those affected by the changes,” it said.

In a follow-up email, they said the first message was an update on the government’s plans for Ukrainian residents and “was not an eviction notice”.

Three months notice

They added that a minimum of three months notice will be given before residents have to leave.

Resident Andrii Gula said the most difficult and stressful thing about the current situation was the lack of any specific deadlines.

“We’ll be given three months notice to vacate our homes. However, no one can say exactly when this three-month period will begin. As a result, people are left in a state of constant uncertainty.”

Many residents said they have already been fruitlessly searching for private rental housing.

The Sydorenko family said they have been trying to rent a home for the past two years without success, despite both of them being in full-time employment.

Mother of two teenagers Tetiana Kulish said: “Every day I search for rental accommodation, but we face obstacle after obstacle. Many properties are beyond our budget, some landlords require references that we cannot provide, and there are very few homes available.”

Single mother Kravtsova Inna said: “It is a big problem to find housing, because all landlords understand that it will be difficult for us to pay rent, which on average will be about 70% of income.”

Anna Filippova said that her family is facing “the terrifying reality of emergency homelessness” after first living in Shanakiel, then being moved by the state to the Cork Student Village, then to Trabolgan.

“Every single move tears our children away from their familiar surroundings, causing immense stress to our family,” she said.

Negative health impact

She said her 16-year-old daughter has Cystic Fibrosis and Type 1 Diabetes and depends on daily sterile nebuliser treatments and quarterly medical care at Cork University Hospital, expressing concern that a move to damp or mouldy accommodation would negatively impact her health.

“We want to be very clear. We do not want to be a burden to the Irish state. We are a hard-working family, and we want to provide for ourselves independently."

Many residents said that they would be willing to pay to stay in Trabolgan.

Maryna Rastvortseva said she has not been able to find any housing for their family of seven people, including her daughter, disabled son, parents and mother-in-law who are “sick and elderly, requiring constant care and frequent visits to specialised doctors”.

Anastasiia Konovalova, a single mother, says that her son, who has autism, is well integrated into his school environment and has friends in the area. She said moving would have a serious negative impact on him.

Under continuous attack

Other people spoke about the situations in their Ukrainian hometowns, including 66-year-old Iryna Morozova from Sumy who said it was “under continuous attack”.

“I haven’t been there for four years and can’t imagine how it is possible to go back there. It’s very frightening and dangerous.”

Galina Kachan, 78, from Kharkiv, said: “I have nowhere to go.”

Social Democrat TD for East Cork, Liam Quaide, told The Echo: “Whatever term is used, the reality is that this group of Ukrainian residents are being told the accommodation they depend on will soon no longer be available, without further information. This is an awful limbo to be left in.

“Nobody is suggesting an arrangement such as Trabolgan can continue indefinitely. But this is exactly why proper planning is needed, with particular consideration of vulnerable groups – older adults, disabled people, children settled in local schools.

“There needs to be clear communication and time-lines, and proper engagement with schools, local services and the wider community.”