Cost-of-living crisis 'far from over' as over 90,000 contact St Vincent De Paul for help
In all, more than a quarter of a million calls for help were received by St Vincent De Paul’s regional offices and local conferences throughout the country last year
More than 90,000 people rang St Vincent de Paul (SVP) last year looking for help to buy food, as the charity recorded a 10% spike in calls in 2023.
It warned that the cost-of-living crisis is “far from over” for those living in poverty who face a challenging 2024 despite State supports.
In all, more than a quarter of a million calls for help were received by the society’s regional offices and local conferences throughout the country last year as households struggled with the high cost of living.
While inflation began to slow last year, prices for basics such as groceries and energy bills now are still far higher than they were just a couple of years ago.
With CSO data suggesting that hundreds of thousands of people experience basic deprivation, which means going without essentials such as adequate nutrition, warm clothing and heating, SVP said the situation facing families meant 30,000 people sought help from the charity for the first time in 2023.
“Only a portion of people living in poverty and deprivation approach SVP for help and we know how hard it is to make that first call,” SVP national president Rose McGowan said.
“It is important to recognise that behind each of these statistics is a person or a family trying to tread water in a sea of rising living costs. The mental toll on people of ongoing financial difficulties, poverty and lack of certainty about the future is to the forefront of our work in communities.”
A further 20,000 calls received by SVP related to energy and utility bills, with 33,000 calls referencing problems with both food and energy costs. Calls also increased at specific times of the year, such as the 34,000 calls from families needing help at Christmas time.
Back-to-school costs, third-level costs, household goods, furniture, clothing, support with health-related costs, mortgages and rent or funeral expenses made up most of the remaining 77,000 calls, it said.
The organisation’s head of social justice Dr Tricia Keilthy said that low pay, a lack of income supports, rising housing costs, unaffordable childcare and a lack of transport options are just some of the problems facing families in the next 12 months.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way, we know with the right policies Government can make a difference,” she said.
“For example, in September calls for help to SVP with back-to-school costs fell due to the free school books scheme and the increase in the back-to-school allowance. We hope to see a similar impact when free books at junior cycle are rolled out.”
Dr Keilthy cited the Government’s stated aim of reducing consistent poverty to 2% or less by next year, from a rate of 5.3% in 2022. She said, to achieve that however, significant strides are needed this year.
This includes benchmarking social welfare payments, increased investment in education and better training and employment supports to address in-work poverty, she added.
