The Simon Community had forced one of its top managers to quit her job because of racism and sexual discrimination, the woman claimed in court yesterday.
Tabish Din told the Circuit Civil Court she had been made to feel isolated, excluded, marginalised and disempowered by her male peers and bosses.
"When I attended managerial meetings, the men would stand chatting in a group, like a boys' network, in the corner of the room," Ms Din told her counsel, Clíona Kimber.
Ms Din, who now lives in New York, said that despite complaints, she received no support from her immediate superior Pat Claffey or the Simon Community's chief executive, Greg Maxwell.
She told Judge Jacqueline Linnane that the Simon Community had made a concerted effort to improve its service to the homeless and had deliberately sought out qualified people from abroad to move the organisation forward.
Ms Din, originally from Kenya, said she had joined as a senior manager in 2002 and had headed up training and rehousing departments until having been forced to resign in April 2004.
She said that she had never been provided with project leaders to head teams of workers in the two departments for which she was responsible and frequently had to work until 10pm to keep up with the day-to-day running of the departments and her managerial responsibilities.
Ms Din told Ms Kimber that she had been told that there were no funds to provide her with project leaders, despite the fact that all of the male senior managers had been provided with one, even in a department which employed only two staff.
When she complained she was merely told to do her best. Eventually, the situation reached a stage where she felt she had no option but to quit her job and resigned, working out her three months notice.
Ms Din said that her workload was such that she had become stressed and the pressure had started to affect her personal life and particularly her relationship with her husband.
She would return home after work feeling low and emotionally drained. She said that she started developing rashes and her personality had changed.
She told the court she was at the end of her tether when she finally resigned. Ms Din is suing the Simon Community for constructive dismissal on the grounds of discrimination because of gender and race.