Calls for help to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society are expected to be up by 30 per cent this festive season because of the economic downturn, the charity’s administrator Colm Noonan said this week.
He outlined there was a 28 per cent increase in calls last Christmas and he predicted this number would rise even further this season.
“It will be easily that plus more judging by the amount of calls we are receiving. We would normally make 400 calls a week and deal with about 900 to 1,000 families at Christmas. But this year we are looking at 1,300 to 1,400 at Christmas.”
The society’s 180 volunteers in Galway are “struggling” to keep up with the number of calls it is receiving, he said.
“I never saw it so bad before and I’ve been here [in this position] for 25 years. People are so shocked, so overwhelmed [by the effects of the recession], they are experiencing a bad year. Last Christmas you could feel it, the country had turned. We had an extremely busy Christmas but for the first half of the year we didn’t see the effects too much. People had a bit of money but now their savings and redundancy money is gone. They are in arrears with their mortgages, there are a fair number of people who owe €20,000.”
The problem seems to be worse in the city, according to Mr Noonan who attributed this to the “sheer volume” of people in the city.
“People are hurting, young people with small children, especially. People on low incomes are really hit. There is an awful lot of hardship out there and I am extremely concerned that there is more to come. It is so unfair that these are the people who benefited least from the Celtic Tiger and now they are most affected.”
He outlines the charity is helping some people it reached out to during the recession of the 1980s.
He said the loss of the Christmas bonus which so many social welfare recipients counted on will make this festive season particularly difficult.
“This made a huge difference to anyone with children. People depended on this to buy gifts. Now, they will have to make do.”
Mr Noonan stated he is fearful cuts in the forthcoming budget will push more vulnerable people into poverty.
The charity is appealing to the public to support its Christmas appeal. “Our volunteers are collecting door to door. We are also seeking donations of toys and non perishable foodstuffs, anything that will help to make Christmas special for people.”
