"Mayo people are scared," Castlebar SVP reveals
“I only ever wanted to be a nurse," said the young student in his final year studying nursing, “but I may not be able to with the cost of rent, food and heating."
What an unexpected disappointment for him and his family at this stage of his course!
Who will help him?
As if life isn’t unbearable enough, a young mother who has worked all her life, now abandoned by her husband, is forced into a rent increase of €500 per month.
She has to take a week off work due to illness. She claims sick pay and, because she cannot claim two social welfare payments together, her working family supplement is stopped.
That would be fine, except the department didn’t reinstate it for many months! If she works extra hours to try to cope, she will lose her HAP (housing assistance payment).
Who will help her and her child?
Councils put a cap on the amount of rent they accept for HAP.
It’s usually too little, so many tenants are compelled to pay a significant amount to their landlord from their meagre income to supplement their rent with cash ‘under the table’, leaving them below the poverty line every month.
Who will help?
A worker, who is now spending twice as much to drive to work these days, is distressed due to a large increase in their mortgage repayments. Worse still, further increases are promised.
He is also despairing at the thought of increased electric bills. Who will help?
These are real stories of real people, no, not from so-called Third World countries, but stories SVP members all over the country are hearing.
The answer to the question “Who will help?” is the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP).
“It’s what we do”, said a member of Castlebar SVP.
“We volunteers have been answering that question for 200 years, we are not perfect, we are not professionals, but we are good at it.
“Things are bad out there. One week in October Castlebar SVP increased its food hampers – fresh fruit and non-perishable items – by 100%. Requests for help have increased 20% each year for the last three years”, said the local volunteer, adding: “This is unheard of.
"I was in the local bank during the week and the teller said: ‘I’m inundated the last few days with people panicking about their mortgages going up. Then add €50-€60 to each shop . . . People are scared,’ she said to me.”
This is why the SVP is making a particular request for a generous response to their upcoming annual appeal.
The appeal will be by way of a blue envelope delivered to every house in the Castlebar and Belcarra areas.
The envelopes explain various options for donating online, by phone, by card and by post.
Without a church gate collection the last few years, this is how the local volunteers will be able to answer that question, but only with your help. All donations are used locally.
As well as donations, the SVP welcomes new members. For more information about their work, visit www.svp.ie.