The government needs to provide a clear timeline for when asylum seekers will no longer be living in tents in Athlone according to a Roscommon human rights advocate.
Over 170 asylum seekers are due to begin living in tented accommodation at the Lissywoolen direct provision centre in the coming days.
It's not yet clear how many weeks the men and women will be accommodated there or if there is a long term plan to move them on to more permanent housing.
Rooskey native John Lannon is chief executive of Doras which advocates for immigrants and human rights.
He fears the situation at other similar tented sites in Clare and Kerry might be replicated in the Shannonside region.
"We know that the people in Tralee have already been in tents for seven weeks. It's worrying that the people who move into the tents in Athlone could be there for far too long as well because there are big delays in the system. We know there are challenges with securing accommodation, not just for asylum seekers and Ukrainians, but everyone in the country. There is a housing crisis and we acknowledge that".
