A recent report released by the Office of the Controller and Auditor General unveiled the pricey cost increase, resulting in struggling Irish families expressing criticism over the matter: "We are being taken for fools with this government."
"The Ukraine's don't need €450,000 modular home. They just need temporary accommodation," said one user on X, as reported by the Daily Mail.
By the end of September, 572 of the new homes had been constructed. However, the construction of 82 new units at Haywood, Clonmel, was postponed until April 2025 as a result of ongoing protests at the site. When the project is completed, the modular homes will house 2,640 Ukrainian refugees.
Protests against the housing site began in June, led by a group called Clonmel Concerned Residents. Members of the group insisted the government needed to help Irish families first, instead of Ukrainians fleeing from the war. Some of the demonstrations at the construction site grew violent, as protesters vandalized property and set equipment on fire.
"They've been given trillions and we are even paying for modular homes in Ukraine," another citizen wrote on X. "Yet, Irish people can't have a modular home in their own gardens as a cheap alternative to the housing crisis."
Ireland is currently experiencing a significant housing crisis due in part to a scarcity of rental properties and a high cost of living. The country has the worst ratio of housing supply to population growth among nine other high-income countries such as the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, Spain, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, as per a report from the Irish Times.
