Killarney Ipas centre housing families and single women evacuated over pest infestation

A State-owned International Protection Accommodation Service (Ipas) centre in Killarney, Co Kerry, has been forced to evacuate its residents due to a pest infestation.Residents at Atlas House, on the edge of Killarney town, were evacuated from the housing on Monday, with some of those living at the facility saying they were only informed of the move on Sunday.The evacuated residents were moved by bus to a centre in Athlone, it is understood.Local sources have said the short notice will leave some establishments in the town’s hospitality industry short-staffed.READ MOREAtlas House provides accommodation for up to 90 residents, comprising families and single women, and the issue is understood to relate to an ant infestation.The housing is all in one large building with 37 mostly en-suite rooms.Ipas housing is owned by the State but is operated by a private company, Onsite Facilities Management Ltd. [ Homelessness ‘risk’ for hundreds of refugee families sparks exchange between MinistersOpens in new window ]An unannounced inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) early this year was largely positive, but accommodation at the centre “was crowded and cluttered”, the report said.Hiqa found the centre to not be compliant with requirements to keep the area clean and to respect and promote the independence of residents in doing their own laundry and cleaning.It said there were “insufficient laundry facilities available to meet the needs of residents”.Hiqa said some residents at the centre had received notices to look for private accommodation and move out of the centre.Residents had previously raised concerns to Hiqa about getting access to furniture and bedding to meet their needs and also on the limited living space at the centre. These issues were found to have been addressed since the last visit.The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration confirmed the relocation was “related to a pest control issue at the accommodation centre”, but it said the relocation will be short-term to allow for the centre to address the problem. “Ipas and centre management regret the inconvenience to residents, but have to respond quickly when any issues arise that impact the health and wellbeing of residents,” the department said.“Residents have been temporarily moved while essential maintenance is carried out. We are working to minimise any disruption to residents and to ensure they will be able to return to their accommodation in Killarney as soon as possible.”The department said it appreciates that the move is very disruptive for people, especially at short notice, but described it as unavoidable.