HOARDINGS ERECTED OVER a doorway where a homeless man was known to sleep in Dublin were put there as part of preparations to allow the building to host Leaving Certificate exams, it has been claimed.

The doorway at Rathmines College of Further Education on Leinster Road was covered with wooden hoardings last weekend, prompting an outcry on social media.

The location had been frequented by a man who slept rough, who was well-known by locals and was regularly spotted sleeping in the doorway overnight.

There were concerns that the hoardings had been placed on the building, which is leased to the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) by the Department of Education, to deter the individual from sleeping there.

The man who has slept in this doorway for a long time now has had the place he felt safest to sleep replaced with wood. Wood to keep him for a doorstep. Imagine being the person who made this decision. Shame. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/ZUx6D8XZOb

— Senator Lynn Ruane (@SenLynnRuane) May 25, 2021

However, a spokesperson for the department said that the hoardings were erected as part of works being carried out on the building to facilitate Leaving Certificate exams in the coming weeks.

In a statement, the department also said it had been contacted about “a number” of homeless people who had stayed in the doorway and on the path in front of the building.

“On receiving this information the Department contacted CDETB in respect of the doorway,” a spokesperson said.

“The doorway, as a fire exit, will be required to support the delivery of the Leaving Certificate examinations.

“On a short-term basis temporary wooden hoarding, which has now been removed, was erected around the doorway. Works to prepare the building for use as an examination centre are ongoing, including works on the doorway in question.”

The hoardings were removed earlier this week and Dublin City Council confirmed to The Journal that its homeless services had engaged with the man who was known to sleep in the doorway.

A spokesperson for the local authority said the man has been offered accommodation in the area, and that its homeless outreach team will continue to interact with him whether he accepts this offer or not.

“He is also under consideration for the Housing First Programme where he could get an offer of permanent accommodation,” a statement added.