SVP spent €41m last year to help families in need

The €41 million spent by St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) to help families in need last year belies the myth that poverty has been eradicated in Ireland, the society said as it launched its Christmas appeal and annual report yesterday.

Some 9,200 volunteers dealt with more than 300,000 requests for help last year. Families were given money, food, clothing and furniture and they also received help paying fuel and education bills.

St Vincent de Paul spent almost €41.3 million - a 6.6 per cent increase on the previous year. This was "record expenditure", Brian O'Reilly, president of the society said. "These figures give the lie to the widespread belief that there is now no poverty in Ireland.

"While grinding, consistent poverty has significantly diminished, beneath the surface it's a different story."

Almost €7.6 million was spent on responding to emergency calls for cash assistance - a 5.8 per cent increase on the previous year.

Operations director Kieran Murphy said it was "staggering" to think that there was such poverty in the midst of the Celtic Tiger. It was not unusual to walk into a home where there was little or no food in the fridge, he said. A further €4.6 million was spent by the society on food last year, a 10.4 per cent increase on the previous year. The biggest increase in spending was on fuel costs with more than €3.1 million spent - a 12.7 per cent increase.

Vice-president of the SVP, Prof John Monaghan, said the society was "scared witless" by continuing increases in electricity and gas prices. He said they had asked Bord Gáis to avoid disconnections as much as possible.

"It's a real worry for us," he said, adding that low income families should be entitled to fuel allowances similar to those given to the elderly.

Last year the society also spent almost €1.8 million on holiday breaks and outings for hard-pressed families. Mr Murphy said the dreams of people in poverty were "very modest". He pointed to one case of a woman in her 50s whose husband was an alcoholic and whose adult children were also in difficulty.

Asked what her dreams were, she said "I'd love to tour Connemara, I'd like to go to the Galway Races and visit Kilmainham Gaol." These "very, very modest dreams" were all fulfilled with the help of the society, he said.

St Vincent de Paul is aiming to raise €5 million before Christmas in its annual appeal. SVP Week runs from next Sunday with Mass collections countrywide on Sunday, December 10th.

Donations to the society increased from €23.5 million in 2004 to €30.8 million last year. Much of this was due to the large increase in legacies left to the society. Some €11.47 million was bequeathed last year compared with €5.7 million in 2004.

• Also yesterday, the Central Remedial Clinic launched its annual Santa Bear appeal to raise funds for the care of people with physical disabilities. It aims to raise over €400,000 with the sale of Santa Bear badges, key rings and tree decorations.

Anne's story: how St Vincent de Paul helped

Anne (41) never expected to find herself asking for help from St Vincent de Paul. But this single parent with a nine-year-old daughter hit hard times and was unable to pay the college fees for her part-time course.

"People don't seem to realise that, especially for single parents, it's so easy to fall behind and sometimes there are hard times in your life when you are depressed and it is hard to get up and move forward," she said.

She had enrolled in a community arts and development course thinking that the Government could fund her but realised too late that part-time courses were not funded. "I was a bit stuck and I really, really, badly wanted to do the course because I needed this education to improve my income levels."

She wrote to the society and a volunteer called to her house. "Basically they paid 90 per cent of the course. It cost €850 which didn't seem like a lot of money at the time but I just didn't have it." She finished the course in June and has been working since September.

"And I'm in a much better position. I can earn €150 extra a week because of that course so it's made a huge improvement in my life. I can pay my rent. Okay, we all have worries, but at least I'm in a position that I can actually afford Christmas this year without the depression I had last year."

Alison Healy