EFFORTS were continuing last night to resolve a dispute that threatens to disrupt welfare payments to 600 homeless people and 300 refugees in the Dublin area.
The dispute involves 16 community welfare officers, who walked out of their offices at West Charles Street yesterday in a protest at working conditions and attacks on staff.
The Eastern Health Board has established a freephone line to provide alternative emergency services for clients. The number is 1800-456400.
An EHB spokeswoman said it has offered to find alternative temporary accommodation from which staff can provide services. It is also offering to move services for refugees to separate premises. Additionally the EHB is offering to renovate the West Charles Street building at a cost of £335,000.
An Impact official, Mr Sean McHugh, said that the offer to renovate the building was made only on Monday evening when they had made it clear they were no longer prepared to work there. His members had been seeking improvements for 2 1/2 years.
Because of the crowded conditions in the offices, where young homeless people, some of whom are drug-users, queue alongside older homeless and women with children, there have been tension and occasional outbreaks of violence.
According to Eastern Health Board figures, the number of clients using the centre last year was 900, of whom 300 were foreign applicants. But Impact said the increased caseload is even greater, largely due to an eightfold increase in foreign applicants.