Ageing Out of Tusla Accommodation Services

Who is this page for?

This page is for unaccompanied minors who are in Ireland under the Temporary Protection Directive. Specifically, it is for those unaccompanied minors who are reaching the age of majority (18).

Aftercare:

Some unaccompanied minors will continue to be provided with support by Tusla Child and Family Agency (Tusla) through the form of Aftercare. Aftercare is a service that assists young people with the transition out of the care of Tusla and towards independent living as an adult. Services include advice, guidance, and practical support. Preparation for Aftercare should be part of a care plan that is developed with the young person’s Social Worker, foster carers, or social care teams. To access Aftercare supports a young person must have been in the care of Tusla for at least 12 months of the five years preceding their 18th birthday.
Any young person in the care of Tusla should speak to their social worker or allocated worker to understand their Aftercare entitlements.

UCTAT Accommodation:

Unaccompanied minors are entitled to accommodation provided by Tusla. Where an unaccompanied minor turns 18 however, they may be referred to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration for further accommodation under the Temporary Protection Directive. Under the Temporary Protection Directive, the state must provide to beneficiaries of temporary protection:

Suitable accommodation, or,
The means to access accommodation

Relevant departments include the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration, the Department of Social Protection, and the Department of Housing. They have a number of processes through which beneficiaries of temporary protection can access accommodation and accommodation support.

City West Accommodation Assessment:

As of the 1st of October 2026, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration has initiated a process whereby they will assess the accommodation needs of young beneficiaries of temporary protection exiting the care of Tusla. A young person’s social worker will likely be asked to provide pertinent information in relation to that young person’s needs in advance of their 18th birthday.

On or shortly after that young person’s 18th birthday, they will be referred to the City West Convention Centre for an assessment of their accommodation need. There are a number of factors that will guide the department’s decision in relation to addressing that young person’s housing need.

Care order in place:

Where there is a court ordered care order under in place (for example a care order under Section 4, 17, or 18 of the Childcare Act 1991), that young person may qualify for further accommodation provided by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration’s Ukraine Crisis Temporary Accommodation Team (UCTAT). Accommodation made available to such young people may be in any location in Ireland and may include sharing a room, and facilities with other adults.

No care order in place:

Where a young person was accommodated by Tusla under Section 5 of the Childcare Act 1991 and where there was no court ordered care order in place, the accommodation available to such young people by UCTAT may be limited to 30 days.

Support to Access Privately Owned Accommodation:

There are a range of financial suports available to beneficiaries of temporary protection to access the private market.

Accommodation Recognition Payment:

The Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a tax-free monthly financial contribution available to those hosting a person or people who arrived in Ireland from Ukraine under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. This financial contribution is paid per eligible property, not per person hosted. This support is due to expire on the 31st of March 2027. For more information see here.

The Irish Red Cross have facilitated hosts to provide accommodation to beneficiaries of temporary protection through their pledge programme. The Irish Red Cross can be contacted here.

Rent Supplement:

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection may be eligible for Rent Supplement, a means-tested payment that helps with rental costs. The scheme is administered by the Department of Social Protection, and applications can be submitted online or through a local Intreo Office. To qualify, applicants must generally work no more than 30 hours per week, and rent limits vary depending on the area in which they live. In certain circumstances, such as financial hardship, family size, or medical requirements, the Department may approve a higher rent limit.

For further information see here.

Rent-A-Room:

Rent-a-Room Relief is a tax incentive available to homeowners who rent out a room in their principal private residence or a self-contained unit within the house, such as a basement flat or a converted garage. Where a landlord is availing of this tax relief, the tenant must have access to the main dwelling and occupy a room within the home or a self-contained unit within the house, such as a basement flat or a converted garage. To qualify for this relief, the total amount charged to the tenant, including rent and utility contributions, must not exceed €14,000 in a calendar year.

Tenants living under a Rent-a-Room arrangement have limited legal protections compared to standard tenants. As they are considered licensees rather than tenants, they are not covered by the Residential Tenancies Acts and cannot refer disputes to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). They also do not benefit from security of tenure and can generally be asked to leave with reasonable notice.

For further information see here.

Local Authority Emergency Accommodation:

Section 2 of the Housing Act 1988 defines a person as being homeless where they have no accommodation available to them which they can reasonably occupy and they are unable to provide accommodation from their own resources.

Where a beneficiary of temporary protection is destitute, they could request a homeless assessment from a local authority pursuant to section 10 of the Housing Act 1988.

They may be able to access accommodation or other supports if they are found to be homeless by their local authority.

There are 31 local authorities in Ireland. They can all be found here.

International Protection:

International Protection is a form of protection granted to those fleeing persecution or serious harm in their home countries and is granted on the basis of an assessment of an individual’s circumstances.

Beneficiaries of temporary protection are entitled to apply for international protection at any time. However, state policy provides that an applicant would be required to withdraw their temporary protection status first.*

Applicants for international protection are entitled to accommodation where they do not have the resources to provide it for themselves.

Applicants are not permitted to leave the jurisdiction for the duration of the international protection process.

If granted international protection, beneficiaries are advised not to return to their country of origin as by doing so they may be perceived to have re-availed themselves of the protection of that country - their protection in Ireland could on that basis be revoked.

For information on the difference between international protection and temporary protection see here.

For general information on the international protection process in Ireland see here.

You may be entitled to legal aid in relation to an application for international protection. For information on services provided by the Legal Aid Board see here.

*The lawfulness of this policy has been cast into doubt following a judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union (C-249/25) and we would therefore recommend that any applicant engage legal advice in advance of making any decision.