Cost-of-living crisis sees more middle-income families turning to charity
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) national president, Teresa Ryan. With requests for help set to exceed 250,000 this year, the chairt has launched its annual appeal, urging public support for families under pressure. Picture: Chris Bellew / Fennell Photography
Increasingly desperate middle-income families and mortgage holders are seeking help from the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP), despite feeling "ashamed" at being unable to make ends meet as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.
The charity's national president, Teresa Ryan, has hit out at the Government for a "piecemeal" approach to tackling poverty, as SVP appeals for public help to support families to put food on the table or keep the heat on this Christmas.
“There are people with electricity bills, and it could be in the thousands, and they just can't get on top of it,” she said.
“That's a big thing, people took out a mortgage when they were working, and suddenly one of the family might be out of a job. The struggle in that alone is phenomenal.
“There’s a lot of people coming to us that are saying: ‘I’m ashamed’ or ‘I really don’t like asking’, and we have to reassure them that we would absolutely support them. You’d find people who never, ever asked for help saying: ‘Oh, there’s probably people worse off than me’.”
The charity has seen calls rise 7% in the year to October, and it expects to receive 250,000 calls to its helpline seeking support overall this year.
Ms Ryan said that funding towards SVP this Christmas will allow them to give food vouchers to struggling families, and money to keep the lights and heating on while also supporting children in their education.
The latest Irish grocery market figures show that grocery price inflation now stands at 6.06%, more than double the rate of general inflation in the economy.
Recent months have seen inflation retain an upward trajectory as cost-of-living rises continue to impact households.
Recently announced price hikes from energy companies will heap further pressure on people in the months to come.
The number of households in arrears on their electricity bills is hovering at around the 300,000 mark, with the national regulator warning of “historical highs” for unpaid bills.
As reported by the last week, charities in the sector have warned that many families, but particularly those on low or fixed incomes, are facing stark choices on what to spend their money on and are concerned at seeing prices continue to rise heading into Christmas.
Ms Ryan said Government supports, announced in last month’s budget, had provided some welcome measures, but do not go far enough to help those in poverty.
“I think the Government has taken some measures, but we would consider that they’re not sufficient enough, because poverty is there and people are suffering,” she said.
“Where is the €10 [social welfare payment increase] going to go?
"It’s the phenomenal, the cost of living now.”
In the budget announced last month, the Government introduced measures such as an increase in the child support payment, allowing working family payment recipients to get the fuel allowance and a €10 rise to social welfare payments, but Ms Ryan said it was clear that rising inflation continues to affect families across the country.
“We work with a lot of families who have very little for Christmas and are wondering what on Earth they will get for their children,” she added.
“Will they have enough food on the table? Will they have heat?
“So that type of thing is what we concern ourselves with this Christmas, and every Christmas, to make sure each family has hope, and we provide that friendship and support, along with assessing their needs.”
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