Nurses, gardaí and teachers seeking aid from St Vincent de Paul
The charity says that since 2008 the assistance it offers to thousands of people has nearly doubled to more than €42.2m as a result of the recession and cuts to incomes.
Unions backed up the charity’s claim saying their own benevolent funds were under pressure to meet demand from members who just can’t make ends meet.
Irish Nurse and Midwives’ Organisation general secretary Liam Doran said many of his members were under extreme financial pressure judging from the level of demand on his union’s benevolent fund.
“It’s our own internal barometer and it has never been under such pressure. It confirms that some people have gone beyond [financial] breaking point,” Mr Doran said. He said nurses, teachers and gardaí were three occupations within the public sector which had seen their wages reduced more than anybody else’s.
“They have suffered pay cuts, the pension levy and were also hit by the universal social charge. The culmination of these means the average nurse is down 22% to 23% on their incomes and they were ordinary incomes to begin with.
“Something has to break and it doesn’t surprise me they are going to St Vincent de Paul for help as well,” Mr Doran said.
INTO, the largest teaching union with 40,000 members, said its members were suffering more hardship. “We have had a benevolent fund for many years and there was a significant increase in requests to it this year. Promotions have been cut off, salaries significantly reduced and indirect taxes also levied on teachers. There had to be casualties after that,” assistant general secretary Peter Mullan said.
“The whole country has been through the biggest recession in a lifetime and it doesn’t surprise us that many professionals like teachers have sought help as well from the St Vincent de Paul,” he added.
A spokesman for the Garda Representative Association, which represents rank and file members said he wasn’t surprised gardaí were seeking help.
“It’s a symptom of the reduced earnings gardaí have been forced to endure. Sadly it doesn’t surprise me,” the spokesman said.
Last year St Vincent de Paul spent €42.2m north and south providing direct assistance to those in need. It is likely the same amount will be spent this year. Its biggest outlay in 2013 was on food. A spokesman for the charity said more than €12m was spent handing out supermarket vouchers, while around €3.5m was spent on food hampers.
A further €10m was spent ensuring people were able to pay gas, electricity and oil bills. The charity provided €7.5m to ensure the needy could pay other pressing bills. St Vincent de Paul said one of the reasons why its outlay seemed to be levelling off was because of a campaign to encourage more people to focus on energy awareness and to install pre-paid meters.
The charity’s spokesman Jim Walsh confirmed the new poor of “lower paid professionals” are looking for assistance and there has been a “notable increase in their number in the last couple of years”.
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