SVP reports surge in calls for help

THE Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) says calls for assistance from the charity have more than doubled since 2009 and it’s struggling to meet the e40 million cost of providing help for needy families.

The statistics were revealed at the recent launch of the SVP Annual Appeal. The cost has escalated from e24 million in 2007 and the charity is now helping three times as many families with energy bills over the same period.

This year’s SVP Annual Appeal campaign is called

‘We Can’t do it Alone, Vice-President Tom MacSweeney says the theme was chosen to reflect its struggle in matching calls for assistance with the resources available to it.

“The bulk of this assistance goes to helping families with food, energy and education costs,

? he explained.

“We depend entirely on donations from the public and corporate donors for this work. The generosity of the Irish people to SVP over the years has been outstanding.

?

Mr MacSweeney also said that that the profile of those seeking SVP assistance is radically changing and needs are now more varied and often complex.

“The families we visit are not just those on social welfare, they include people in low-paid employment, the self-employed and people in good employment with debts that they cannot handle,

? he continued.

“The cumulative impact of austerity measures to date on individuals, families and communities has been devastating and CSO statistics show that overall there are 734,120 people (16 per cent of population) in Ireland living in poverty.

?

The SVP Annual Appeal campaign will run throughout December. December 2-8 will be SVP Week during which local SVP Conferences will hold church gate collections.