Vincent de Paul got 1,400 calls a week for Christmas

ST Vincent De Paul (SVP) south-west said it has been inundated with calls for help during December, when 1,400 people have contacted them from across Cork and Kerry every week – a rise of 30% on last year.

Calls to the charity seeking help over the last two weeks have increased by up to 200 a week since November, and it has revealed that the most significant increase in calls is coming from lower-income earners in full-time employment.

Another concern the charity have flagged is the knock on personal affect for owners of small businesses and their staff who are set to face an uncertain January with mounting Revenue bills after deferring payments like Vat and PRSI during the pandemic.

SVP South-West’s regional co-ordinator Gerry Garvey said they had heard of numerous smaller business owners who fear they will be forced to close in the New Year in the face of these significant debts built up during Covid closures since 2020 as the Christmas sales revenue may not be enough to keep them afloat.

Speaking at the launch of the SVP South-West annual car draw, he said: ‘We have received an unprecedented number of calls for this time of year and from all walks of life, including but not limited to; pensioners and social welfare recipients, parents, carers, those on disability payments, and those in lower-paid employment.

‘Energy costs are the primary concern for callers, with SVP providing fuel assistance to families and vulnerable individuals during the winter months. The price of a bag of coal has almost doubled this year – it may even increase again, and this has really put a strain on our reserve funds for the year.

‘Energy costs are crippling, but unfortunately that’s not the only issue, the rising cost of food has also impacted our funds, and we need to ensure that we increase the food vouchers we provide in line with the cost of living and these heightened food prices,’ he added.

‘The overriding theme we are seeing this year is that, in addition to struggling and vulnerable people, the cost-of-living crisis is pushing full-time lower income workers further into poverty and we are receiving calls from people who are in despair every day because they are struggling massively to cope with basic living expenses,’ he remarked.

The annual SVP South-West car draw 2022 is a key fundraising event for the region.  Tickets for the raffle cost €5 each and can be purchased online at www.galabid.com/SVPcardraw before January 6th.

Anyone seeking help is advised to call  (021 4270444).