Agencies are engaging with homeless people living in Dublin’s Phoenix Park in advance of the visit of US president Donald Trump. While the precise number of people who sleep rough in the park is unknown, Dublin Simon Community – which provides the capital’s rough sleeper outreach service – said it was aware of three individuals who “regularly sleep rough” there.“The team encountered two of these individuals this week, but they did not wish to engage with Dublin Simon staff. The third individual was not encountered this week,” said a spokesman.“The outreach team makes every effort to engage with those who are bedded down around Dublin but respects the wishes of those who decide not to.”The Office of Public Works (OPW), which manages the park, has closed all access to it for the weekend. Trump is expected to arrive in Dublin early on Saturday morning before travelling to the Phoenix Park where he will meet President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin.The OPW confirmed the park would be closed to the public from 11pm on Thursday until 6pm on Saturday for “operational reasons” following a request from An Garda Síochána.All gates, including pedestrian gates, will be closed during this period.[ No access to Phoenix Park for two days next week due to Donald Trump’s visitOpens in new window ]An OPW spokeswoman said the question of whether homeless people would be asked to leave the park was one for gardaí, and any measures would be conducted in co-operation with Dublin Simon. A Garda spokesman said the force had “no statutory responsibility for the provision of accommodation to any person”.“In general terms ... members of An Garda Síochána regularly engage with persons sleeping rough, for whatever reason, carrying out welfare checks,” he said.“An Garda Síochána continues to support relevant statutory agencies and NGOs in supporting persons sleeping rough. An Garda Síochána also has an obligation to respond to complaints being received about encampments.”The most recent official count found 136 people sleeping rough in the Dublin region during the week beginning April 13th. That represented a 12 per cent increase on the same period in 2025.