Joyce Fegan: You don't 'shop around' your way out of poverty

Poverty is a vortex that is always swirling — some of us dance around its edges daily, others live far from its precipice

Tricia Keilthy, of St Vincent de Paul: Most people living in poverty ‘can point to a single moment that led to poverty — a relationship breakdown, a job loss, a family member becoming sick, a rent increase that tipped them over the edge’.  Picture: Gareth Chaney Collins

In the 1980s, politicians told us to tighten our belts. In the 2020s, we are told to “shop around”. If a single person’s actions could solve poverty, or tackle the rising cost of living, they would be fixed long ago. But people don’t solve poverty, politicians and policies do.

By this week, you’ve probably now noticed that your weekly basket of groceries has gone up. For some, the jump has been from €60 to €80. Your electricity bill for winter has also possibly come in, and you’re busy reconfiguring your budget to meet the shock rise.