EUR
STG
SVP volunteers visit thousands of families every week across Ireland. We asked some of these families to describe the reality of living on a low income and being unable to access or afford services like housing and childcare. Below is the Society's PreBudget Submission 2017 "Building an Equal Nation". In the submission we have covered four key areas for the Government to prioritise.
Income
More than 700,000 people are living below the poverty line in Ireland, including 230,000 children. This is an insight into the lives of three families who don't have enough money to make ends meet.
Housing
More than 6,000 people are homeless in Ireland, including over 2,000 children and more than 90,000 households are on social housing waiting lists. This is an insight into the impact of the housing crisis on three of the families SVP visits.
Energy
Energy poverty affects up to 28% of households in Ireland. Living in a cold, energy inefficient home impacts on people's health and well-being and puts further pressure on already limited finances.
Childcare
The reforms to the One Parent Family Payment reduced the incomes of many lone parents in employment; and have made it more difficult for others to take up work, education or training. One-parent families are the largest group requesting help from SVP and have the highest poverty and deprivation rates of any household type.
