Having a job is no longer a guarantee that you will stay out of poverty. You may be working in a low paid position, have a zero hour contract, or a part-time post. Or you may earn what appears on paper to be a reasonable income but have very high outgoings in terms of rent or childcare. You may be struggling financially from week-to-week with no real chance of ever getting your finances on an even keel.
More and more people these days belong to this category, which is termed Ireland's working poor, an often invisible group whose numbers continue to rise. The local Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP ) which launched its annual appeal recently, says many of those people need support but are reluctant to contact the charity.
Colm Divilly, the incoming president of the society for the greater Galway city area, which stretches from Claregalway to Clifden, says pride prevents many people from seeking help.
"If you are on a moderate wage and are paying €2,200 a month in rent for a three bedroom house, that is putting huge pressure on working families," he says. "Rent is a priority that has to be paid. People are scared of being homeless so they prioritise paying the rent. They don't have a medical card so if they have any illness and have to go to their doctor or A&E they have to pay.
"These families are facing a huge challenge," he says. "If you are on social welfare, there are a lot of bonuses and assistance provided but working families are not getting these benefits. They may have three or four teenage children or a child in university. This cohort are finding it very tough and unfortunately, pride may be keeping them from contacting us. They may feel there is a bit of a stigma. We don't want that. We would love if they came to us but a lot of them don't."
More help should be available for the working poor, he believes. "There is a need to look at their earnings, some people are earning €14 or €15 an hour, and make sure they are not caught up in the poverty trap. People should not be in a position where if they go out to work, they are losing money."
The society is committed to giving people a "leg-up", he says. "We cannot offer long term support because we do not have the resources but we can help them get back on their feet. Our service is completely confidential."
As well as direct financial assistance, the charity provides friendship, advice, and contact details for other services in the area. "We point them in the right direction, particularly those people who are not aware of social welfare entitlements, or would benefit from contacting the Citizens' Information Centre or MABS [the money advice service]."
The Galway St Vincent de Paul branch received more than 3,800 calls for help in 2023. It expects to receive more than 4,200 this year. While statistics tell a story, the lived experience of volunteers is more relevant to gauge deprivation, according to Mr Divilly. "Our volunteers are dealing with a significant volume of requests and more are now complicated due to homelessness, family break-up, domestic violence, and mental health problems. Many requests require significant volunteer time to help find practical solutions."
Hygiene products
The charity delivers 80 food hampers weekly and will deliver 1,200 Christmas hampers to local families this year. It also delivers 1,560 Eco logs in conjunction with Galway Lions Club. The SVP premises is also the hub for donations of hygiene products which it shares with other city charities.
Some vulnerable households may be receiving social welfare support because of unemployment or illness. However, an unexpected bill may cause hardship, he says. "Social welfare is designed to give you enough to live on every week. But if something out of the ordinary happens.... the car might need tyres or the washing machine might break, they wonder where are they going to find the €300 or the €600. When you are only surviving week-to-week, where are you going to find this money? It's the normal things that create a challenge."
The housing crisis has had far-reaching implications for people, according to Mr Divilly. "We would have seen people going through very serious health challenges and treatments while living in emergency accommodation. I can't understand that our system can't provide homes for them immediately. That is not happening yet we have houses boarded up. It takes close to a year to bring a local authority house back onto the rental market after a person [the occupier] dies, for example.
"There are families, too, with young children who have spent a substantial amount of time living in emergency accommodation. I fear that impacts on children. They may be living in a guest house bedroom for a year.
"There is also the situation where younger people are moving back home because there are no properties available to rent. More older people are also facing homelessness because of the housing crisis. There are a lot of people in their 50s and 60s living in rental properties. What happens then when they get older, when they retire and are unable to pay rent? Hopefully, they will get HAP [Housing Assistance Payments]. Ten years ago, they would have a council house or own their own house."
Relationship break-ups are also plunging people into poverty, he says. "There are a lot more family break-ups and we are seeing the effects of that, including the mental health implications. In cases where there is domestic abuse, one spouse may have to move out with the children. They have to start all over again with nothing. We try and get them furniture."
Families grappling with addiction may need support, too. To the outsider, these households may seem prosperous but all their money is being spent on alcohol or drugs.
Some families the St Vincent de Paul Society helps are experiencing generational poverty, a term applied to those who have experienced poverty for at least two generations. In some families, three generations have been caught in the poverty trap, he says."
Difficult choice
Fuel poverty is a major issue during winter with some people having to make the difficult choice of either going without heat or food. "A lot of homes have to make that choice. The rent will always be paid because they are afraid of losing the goodwill of the landlord."
The charity reports a "phenomenal" increase in the number of third level students from both city universities seeking support. Twenty-five students attended the weekly food bank, which is supported by the St Vincent de Paul Society and takes place at Atlantic Technological University (ATU ), in September. Now, there are 80 to 100 attending. The University of Galway runs its own food bank.
The cost of accommodation, food, and college registration fees are putting students under tremendous pressure, according to St Vincent de Paul. Many of the students who are struggling financially are from middle income families. Some may not have received grant aid because they were just over the threshold. The society also supports Galway students who are struggling to make ends meet while studying in other cities.
Post-Covid-19, there has been what Mr Divilly describes as a "tsunami" of mental health issues. His charity is coming across families struggling with both poverty and mental health issues. "Post Covid, we find we can go into a family and the daughter or son may have mental health challenges. There may be stress or anxiety which affects the whole family. These are very complex situations that you can't solve with vouchers.
"We are not just about giving vouchers, we also provide emotional support. If you just sit down at the kitchen table and listen to people... that can be of more value sometimes than giving them an envelope."
Some families of school-going children find it difficult to fund Transition Year costs, he says. "This is a very expensive year. Maybe schools should look at this and re-think these things, such as skiing trips, that are costing money. A lot of them are optional but they are not really. There are so many of them in Transition Year. We are talking about €600 to €700.
"We've come across a fair bit of that [concern about Transition Year costs]. I was in a house and the mother was crying about her situation. She had forked out for a skiing trip because she didn't want her child to be different. People like this are putting on a brave face, they are trying to keep up appearances and pretend that everything is hunky dory."
He says additional volunteers and funds are required to help the charity reach out to those in need. "We are asking people to be generous, if they can, by donating to our Christmas Appeal. We are also seeking volunteers. Our next recruitment meeting will be held in late January/early February. Volunteers commit to a few hours a week and there is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from it."
He is indebted to the charity's current volunteers. "I would like to pay tribute to all the ordinary volunteers out there, the foot soldiers, some of whom have been doing it for years. One man has been with us since 1979."
