Over 250k calls for help to SVP in 2023 creates another record

Last year the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) received just over a quarter of a million calls for help to its regional offices and local Conferences throughout the country.

This 10% increase on the calls compared to 2022, saw just over 90,000 (36 per cent) requesting help with food.

Energy and utility bills was another area of need with almost 20,000 calls received, while another 33,000 calls were from people struggling with both food and energy costs.

In the region of 30,000 people sought SVP help for the first time in 2023.

Rose McGowan, SVP National President said: "Only a portion of people living in poverty and deprivation approach SVP for help and we know how hard it is to make that first call. But our support is here in a confidential and non-judgemental way and the only criteria for help is need. The mental toll on people of ongoing financial difficulties, poverty and lack of certainty about the future is to the forefront of our work in communities."

Dr. Tricia Keilthy, SVP Head of Social Justice said: "The Government has committed to reduce consistent poverty to 2 per cent or less by 2025 and the rate stood at 5.3 per cent in 2022. To reach this target we need to see in 2024, a move towards benchmarking our social protection system to what people need to live, increased investment in education across the life cycle, better pay, training and employment supports to address in-work poverty, and significant strides by the Child Poverty Unit in the Department of An Taoiseach to set us on a path to ending child poverty.”