Homeless people in central and south Dublin are to be referred to the charity Focus Ireland to help them find permanent accommodation.
Under a new arrangement announced yesterday, the Citizens' Information Service is to refer homeless people in Dublin 2, 4 and 6 to a coffee shop advice centre run by Focus Ireland.
The Housing Advice Centre and Coffee Shop, at 15 Eustace Street in Temple Bar, will be a first port of call for people wanting help.
The charity, which receives about 75 per cent of its funding from the Government, says that it will then allocate a worker to each case.
The new arrangement will lead to a better flow of information to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, said a spokesman for Focus, Roughan Mac Namara.
"It's all about ease of access to information," he said.
"We've found from our experience of dealing with customers who are homeless that they often might not have been aware what support services are in place. We want to try and make the period of homelessness as short as possible."
About 5,000 people in Ireland are classed as homeless, said Mr Mac Namara, with the majority in temporary emergency accommodation such as shelters or hostels. In Dublin more than 100 people sleep rough each night, he said, often because they have been turned away by hostel staff.