State’s €25k bill to keep the homeless out

Plan to protect Custom House

THE Government department responsible for homelessness asked that 13ft-high hoarding be erected around a construction site at their headquarters to keep rough sleepers and other intruders out.

Emails obtained under Freedom of Information rules also reveal that 24hour security was hired at a cost of €25,000 to ensure homeless people looking to shelter at the Department of the Environment’s Custom House offices would be told to move on.

The Custom House on Dublin’s quays has been a popular location for rough sleepers, who have long used the archways to stay dry at night. The works took place late last year.

An internal email released by the Office of Public Works explained that the homeless would be given a chance to leave of their own accord before gardaí would be called.

It said: ‘In the event of them refusing to leave, the security officer will contact the gardaí and ask for their assistance. The security officer will also have the assistance, if required, of our mobile supervisory team, who will be calling to site periodically.’

It was also explained in internal emails that the OPW and the department looked for extra-high hoarding to keep intruders, including the homeless, out. The requested height was 4m – although the standard size was two and a half metres.

The department, however, has said that keeping homeless people off the site was not its ‘major concern’. It insisted its primary concerns were to ‘secure building equipment, discourage intruders on health and safety grounds, as well as protecting an iconic building’.

A statement said: ‘As part of the cold weather initiative security company personnel were briefed to include an engagement and referral strategy for any homeless person who may be encountered.

‘This, depending on the outcome of a risk assessment, ranged from calling an ambulance to providing contact information to the central placement service and the Housing First Intake/street outreach teams.’

Other emails reveal that the large size of the hoarding was going to create its own problems with graffiti.

An architect in the OPW wrote: ‘I currently have a query with them about applying an anti-graffiti coating. We would be concerned about it being a very large graffiti surface. The coating won’t stop graffiti; it just makes it easier and quicker to remove.

The work took place as part of a major scheme of refurbishment work to the Custom House building, which included the opening of a visitor centre as part of the 1916 centenary commemorations.

The department said that internal and external work had taken place including re-painting, re-plastering and treatment of the stonework.