SVP National President, Teresa Ryan, Calls on Government for ‘DELIVERY, INVESTMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY’ at National Social Inclusion Forum
Forum will help shape Ireland’s social inclusion policies and anti-poverty strategies.
Today, Teresa Ryan, SVP National President, will deliver a keynote address at the Department of Social Protection’s Social Inclusion Forum 2026, urging Government to match ambition with action as it launches the successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion, the national strategy for reducing poverty and improving social inclusion.
Addressing more than 300 delegates at the Aviva Stadium, including policymakers, service providers, NGOs, advocacy groups, academics, and people with direct experience of poverty and social exclusion, Teresa Ryan will welcome the Government’s renewed commitment to tackling poverty and exclusion. However, she will warn that rising housing costs, family homelessness, and deepening inequality continue to push more people into hardship across Ireland.
In her keynote address, Teresa Ryan will advise,
'The link between poverty and social exclusion has long been established. We know poverty causes social exclusion, and we know social exclusion entrenches poverty. We need to break that cycle, and the starting point must be to eliminate poverty. As we look to the future, we need to address the needs of people living in poverty while also providing the essential services that prevent people from falling into poverty in the first place. Targeted supports are essential, but we must also ensure housing, childcare, and healthcare are affordable and do not become unintended poverty traps. Ambition will only matter if it is matched by delivery, investment, and accountability. If we get this right, we will not only reduce poverty, but strengthen communities, restore dignity, and build a society where everyone truly belongs.'
Drawing on her own lived experience and decades of advocacy work with people with disabilities, Teresa Ryan will highlight the urgent need for practical supports that work to prevent people from falling into poverty in the first place. She will reaffirm SVP’s commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals and families through the Society’s core principles of Support and Friendship, Self-Sufficiency, and Social Justice.
Teresa Ryan will also highlight,
'The Ireland I was born into was very different from the Ireland of today. I was not born into privilege, and I know what it is like to go without. But the community mattered. Today, too many people feel disconnected, isolated, and excluded, and that must concern all of us.'
In 2024 alone, SVP provided €41.3 million in direct assistance to individuals and families experiencing poverty and financial hardship, invested €5.1 million in education supports, and responded to more than 260,000 requests for help. In her address, Teresa Ryan will recognise the contribution of SVP’s 10,000 members, 3,000 volunteers, and 850 staff working across 1,100 local conferences throughout Ireland.
According to the SILC 2025 data published in March 2026, overall consistent poverty declined slightly from 5% to 4.7%. However, the figures also reveal growing inequality:
- The consistent poverty rate increased significantly for older people living alone (from 5.2% to 9.6%) and children in one-parent households (from 11% to 13.4%), despite temporary cost-of-living supports remaining in place. Children in one-parent families are now more than three times as likely to experience consistent poverty.
- Households where someone has a disability continue to face a very high consistent poverty rate of 13.9%.
- Housing costs are pushing many more people into poverty. The general at-risk-of-poverty rate rises from 12.6% before housing costs to 19.7% after housing costs, while for households receiving HAP or Rent Supplement it increases from 20.5% to 58%.
- More than 17,500 people are also now experiencing homelessness, including a record 5,500 children and 2,600 families living in emergency accommodation.
Concluding her address, Teresa Ryan will state,
'These figures show the growing pressures facing low- and middle-income households, including soaring housing costs, unaffordable childcare, healthcare expenses, and the additional financial burden experienced by people with disabilities. They also show that homelessness is no longer a short-term emergency. It is becoming embedded within our housing system, with family homelessness now the largest driver of homelessness in Ireland. We cannot allow this to become normalised.'
SVP is urging the Government to prioritise four key measures in Budget 2027:
- Increase targeted income supports for those most at risk of poverty, including older people living alone and lone-parent families.
- Provide additional financial support for households facing unavoidable extra costs, including people with disabilities.
- Protect low-income households from rising energy costs by increasing supports such as the Fuel Allowance and Household Benefits Package in line with the real cost of living.
- Prepare for Winter 2026–2027 by bringing together Government, energy providers, and community organisations to coordinate supports before the winter crisis hits.
References
