The West Region of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP ) has provided direct financial support to 330 families in Mayo, Galway and Roscommon in recent months to help alleviate their energy costs.
Aided by a donation of €50,000 from Nephin Energy, the SVP Region Council also provided support, bringing the total value to €95,897, an average of €290 per family.
The Nephin Energy donation was ringfenced to specifically help address energy poverty among the most vulnerable people in SVP’s West Region of Mayo, Galway and Roscommon.
The requests for help with energy costs in recent months were so great that the SVP West Region added €49,897 to the Nephin Energy donation to ensure that all the requests for help were met. The funds were distributed before the end of March.
In total, 330 households were assisted with oil, coal, gas or electricity costs. Some households received assistance towards two or more of these energy sources, with 170 families receiving assistance with oil costs, 115 families with coal, 112 families with electricity costs and 20 families with gas.
Nephin Energy, Ireland’s largest domestic producer of natural gas, is the largest stakeholder in the Corrib Gas Field in Mayo. Tom O’Brien, managing director of Nephin Energy, said: "We are delighted that our donation has been used in such an effective way and has managed to keep so many families warm over the last number of months. It is heart-warming to know that our donation has supported such a significant number of households and we are glad that we could contribute back to the West region."
Maureen Mitchell, SVP West Region President, said: "We are very grateful to Nephin Energy for its donation and to the members of the SVP West Region Council for adding to this donation when the extreme need in the region became obvious. Combined, this allowed our local volunteers to provide far-reaching assistance to those in need of support with energy costs.
"Having adequate heat and electricity is a basic living requirement but for many people who contact us, they are often unable to pay basic utility bills or buy fuel. SVP continues to advocate and take practical steps to reduce energy poverty among vulnerable children and families."
The SVP West Region is made up of 63 local Conferences (Committees ) that operate in every corner of Mayo, Galway and Roscommon. There are over 500 volunteers in the Region who are working in each local community,
SVP volunteers take a practical approach to dealing with poverty by helping to alleviate its effects on individuals and families. SVP local volunteers do this primarily through in-person contact by a unique system of home visitation where they offer direct, personal assistance that is non-judgmental and based on the need of the individual or family.
