Demand on SVP rises as funds fall

Church gate collections are up 11% on last year, the St Vincent de Paul Society in Cork said, but calls are up by 30%.

SVP southern president Brendan Dempsey said the public was “extremely generous”, but that he was still “very apprehensive” about the future.

“Although our church collections are up, our calls are up 30% and the types of calls we are getting are costing us a lot more than they used to because of their complex nature,” he said.

“I would say things are not easy for us and we are worried about the future.”

He said education was becoming a big issue, with people not being able to afford to pay for their children’s registration. “We have paid for a few young people in these situations. It is a pity to see a child lose out on education just because parents can’t afford to pay.”

Fears are growing for families struggling to keep their heads above water with cuts coming to a network of family support agencies which aid disconnected communities, troubled teenagers, and isolated mothers.

There are fears the state-funded Family Support Agency (FSA) will be broken down with cuts over the next three years. FSA branches warn they face closure if the cuts — 12% each year on top of 10% last year — are not reviewed.

The FSA has over 100 centres nationwide which provide low-cost counselling and family mediation services.

Nora Martin, of the Genesis psychotherapy and family therapy service in the Blanchardstown and surrounding areas of Dublin 15, said she and her staff were the only such service for a huge area which had the largest growing population in the country.

“At the moment we are talking about drawing up a strategy to cope with cuts.

“One option under discussion is to close waiting lists, we just don’t know how we will cope but there will be a lot of people out there who won’t get the help they need.”

The service is signing up 70 new clients a month, she said.

“The pressure on people is phenomenal and there are no services there for them. There are a high numbers of young families in the area.

“We are dealing with the new poor, people who bought houses out here are in negative equity, they are stuck, and there is no community here.

“They are not from here and have no family in the area, and they might not even know their neighbours, they are disconnected and isolated and there is a real sense of hopelessness and helplessness.”

She said often those who were worst off were those just managing.

“They are working, they don’t qualify for medical cards and are just coping. They might have €5 or €10 in their purse and behind closed doors they are getting calls about credit card bill they can’t pay.”

She said the service had seen a 120% increase in anxiety and depression.

“We have GPs or social services referring people who are presenting with anxiety and depression, they have nowhere else to send them. They are often people prescribed anti-depressants, but medications are not the answer and a pill can’t cure what is essentially a social issue.”