Ringsend Community Centre had a busy day on Tuesday 27th May with an International Neighbours day event on in the morning and an important addition to services at the Centre launched later in the afternoon, the Citizens Information advice service, CIS.

It runs between 9am and 1pm every Thursday. The information unit is part of the southside Dublin 2, 4 and 6 area of coverage and is funded by the Citizens Information Board, which is in turn funded by the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Information advisors Maeve Wallace, Maria Brophy and Aurelia Bodrug spoke of how their work deals with legal issues, consumer rights, employment rights, local information, immigration matters, advocacy and problems people have with personal finances like debt.

Liz Carroll, also of the CIS, told how the advisors often have to go to hospitals and care homes to help the sick get their affairs in order and said that they work very closely with social workers and other staff in the health service.

Paul Foley of Ringsend Community Centre welcomed the guests and said “we have been striving to get these types of services into the Centre for the benefit of the community and this information service is non-profit making and is here on a permanent footing every Thursday morning.”

Bill Taylor, from the Citizens Information Dublin 2, 4 and 6 area, said that their brief is to dispense information free of charge to all citizens of Dublin postal districts 2, 4 and 6.

He explained how there was a headquarters building at Montague Court on Montague Street in Dublin 2 and that there were Outreach Offices at Whitefriar Street, Rathmines, Milltown and at St. Vincent’s Hospital.

John Long from the statutory body, the Citizens Information Board, talked about the website on which all the information is available and the low call number which is easily accessible. He said that some people have problems and require help in their own time and need to be listened to, heard and provided with solutions to the difficulties that they have in a way that suits them.

He recommended the website to immigrant communities as it is in different languages and said that he hoped that the CIS could help people in the area with disabilities.

Lorraine Barry, the manager of Ringsend Community centre, thanked all the staff for such a full day of events and said that some of the advisors had been on their feet all day answering questions, she thanked the board of management and said “the addition of the CIS was fantastic going forward for the Centre.”

Website: www.citizensinformation.ie, or low call 1890 777 121.