Homeless man on ‘Liveline’ was asked to leave RTÉ grounds

A homeless man who rang RTÉ's Liveline programme to seek help, turned out to have been "asked nicely to leave" a makeshift home under a tree in the grounds of the national broadcaster.

Identified only as Joseph, the 27-year-old borrowed a mobile phone from Bernard Ward in a hardware shop at the Merrion Centre to ring Joe Duffy. He said he was asking that somebody give him a job, or a shed to stay in so he could register for social supports.

Joseph, who said he was a former child of the Cottage Home in Dún Laoghaire, told the programme he had been fostered to a “good family” in Rathfarnham at the age of 15 and had graduated from school with a Leaving Certificate Applied before going to college in Dún Laoghaire and later getting a job in McDonald’s, Nutgrove.

However, he said youthful partying had got him “the sack” from McDonald’s and he eventually became homeless having forgone the opportunity of a hostel in the city centre because of “aggression” from other users and the presence of “dirty needles”.

“I’m not used to fighting,” he said.

Joseph told the show’s listeners his mother was from the Dún Laoghaire area but had problems of her own and had died three years ago. He had been homeless for seven years and survived on handouts while sleeping rough – latterly in the grounds of RTÉ but was desperate to change his situation.

“I’m in a crisis at the moment and I’m homeless. I’m kind of stuck in the middle and I’m running out of options on where to go,” he said. Sleeping rough was difficult as “a lot of people go by and say rude stuff”.

Anxious to work

A number of times he stressed he was willing and anxious to work and would be happy with “a back shed” to use as a home and an address to enable him to access social supports. He said he had applied for work in a cafe in Booterstown, but as he had no address, he was not contactable if work became available. He said he was willing to work at anything.

Joseph said he had been sleeping under a tree at RTÉ near the television mast but a security man said there had been complaints.

“He asked very nicely for me to leave. I understand. It is a working place. People are going into work they don’t want to see that.”

Quizzed by Duffy he said he had obtained a “an FAI football coach badge” at college in Dún Laoghaire and later certification in driving a forklift and first aid.

While he was speaking to Liveline a worker in the shopping centre approached Joseph and pressed €100 into his hand.

Bernard Ward of the Merrion Hardware shop who had given Joseph the mobile phone to call the radio show said he offered to buy Joseph a mobile phone in the nearby Tesco, "but he refused. He wanted to use his own money as he had just been given €100," Mr Ward told The Irish Times.

Before the show ended Duffy said offers of help were coming in and it is expected an update on Joseph's situation will form part of the next edition of Liveline.

Attempts to contact Joseph directly were unsuccessful but Mr Ward said a number of offers of help were arriving on Friday evening.

RTÉ said a comment would be forthcoming.