Appeals for greater empathy for those struggling to either escape or avoid poverty
This year marks 175th anniversary of SVP in Ireland.
Based on greater than anticipated calls in lead up to Christmas the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) expects no slowdown in the calls for help it will receive in 2019.
Early in November SVP National President Kieran Stafford predicted that the Society would receive about 50,000 calls for help over the winter months.
This will be exceeded in the new year as the Society has already received almost that number in November and December.
Calls for help to the Society are now over 130,000 a year about 11% more than five years ago.
Help with the costs of food, fuel, education and utility bills remain the highest number of requests from families struggling on inadequate incomes.
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We are also increasingly receiving calls for help from people unable to meet growing costs of private rental accommodation and being forced to make choices about the use of scarce income", said Mr. Stafford.
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