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LAUNCHING ITS CHRISTMAS appeal yesterday, St Vincent de Paul said calls for help to the charity have more than doubled since 2009.
The continuing increase in requests for assistance has translated into growing costs. According to figures provided at the launch, the cost of providing direct assistance has escalated from €24 million in 2007 to €40 million this year.
During the same six-year-period, SVP has seen the amount it spends helping families with their energy costs triple.
“The bulk of this assistance goes to helping families with food, energy and education costs,” said vice president Tom MacSweeney yesterday.
“We depend entirely on donations from the public and corporate donors for this work. The generosity of the Irish people to SVP over the years has been outstanding.
“Despite their own difficulties there are many individuals and organisations that somehow find something to give to SVP and this generosity is absolutely welcomed and essential for the SVP to support those in great need,” he added, referencing this year’s appeal theme which is ‘We can’t do it alone’.
Changing profiles
There has been a radical shift in the profiles of those seeking help from the charity, making their needs varied and complex.
The families are not just those on social welfare, said MacSweeney. They also include people in low-paid employment, the self-employed and people in good employment with debts they cannot handle.
SVP manages 970 social housing units, has 344 emergency beds per night available for the homeless, operates 15 day care centres, 150 shops and many breakfast, homework and revision clubs. See more about the appeal which runs through December and SVP Week from 2-8 December on www.svp.ie.
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I heard a bloke on one of the morning radio shows and he may of been on a wind up.
He said that even though he can afford to pay his bills, he just lets them build up and goes to VDP and other charities and they help him.
Horrible attitude if its true.
Likely a plant. A regular feature of Irish radio. Especially Niall Boylan’s shows.
I used to work for a home heating oil provider.
SVDP were the biggest customer.
I would have always believed that to be untrue but the mothers at my toddler group were talking about SVP a few weeks ago and the great work they do. One of the women said she would never give to them because she knew more than person who abused them. Receiving help when they don’t need it. It actually made me want to help more because I hate to think that their resources are so stretched because of people like that. They have always been an amazing charity.
If people took some personal responsibility we wouldn’t need any charities.
Personal responsibility like not trolling and being man enough to post your silly comments under your full name?
Kenneth you either live in Utopia or cloud cuckoo land
Please Ken, stop telling the truth, nobody wants to hear the truth.
Its not often you see so much stupidity in a comment Kenneth, But you’re not alone today you have Dom AcePlazo trying to steal your stupidity limelight.
1 red thumb for 1 very silly comment.
Free benefits, free bus pass, free, free, free and some more freebies and then pop around to the SVP and collect a cheque for your electricity bill and a food voucher for €40 which you can spend on beer and fags.
Well done enda
Charity,The one thing Kenny and Merkel can’t kill.
The SVP should change their name to the freeloaders association, they don’t give to the needy, just to the greedy freeloaders. This voucher does not entitle you to buy alcohol, but the shops don’t care.
more than likely they don’t need it to buy cigs and alco but more than likely to get them out of trouble with bills after theyve spent theirs on… cigs and alco! Money Matters, a trip to Mabs is where half of them need to be sent.
actually, cigs aint the issue, the alco friend, thats their problem.
I wonder if Enda will introduce a tax on charities because I know currently if they are registered they don’t pay any tax on donations.
Anything for free some people will take even if they don’t need it.
have your say