Northern Ireland

St Vincent de Paul sees requests for help rise by more than 51 per cent

Mary Waide, SVP Regional President for the North Region, described the number of calls received by the charity in recent months as "alarming but sadly not unexpected". Picture by Matt Mackey/Press Eye
Mary Waide, SVP Regional President for the North Region, described the number of calls received by the charity in recent months as "alarming but sadly not unexpected". Picture by Matt Mackey/Press Eye

St Vincent de Paul has appealed donations after requests for its help rose by more than 51 per cent.

The charity said the requests came from people experiencing money worries over food, heat and clothing

The organisation said in the last quarter of 2022, almost 170 calls a day for help were logged.

New data from SVP shows there were a total of 14,144 requests made to the charity’s Regional Office in Belfast for financial, emotional and food support in the same period.

Concerns included purchasing energy in the form of electricity, gas or home heating oil, for which there were 2,585 calls over the quarter.

In the same period last year, there were 1,350 requests for help with energy costs.

Meanwhile, those in need of food during the period amounted to 1,032 requests.

Some 1,864 people requested support with Christmas pressures and 256 calls were made requesting clothing items. More than double the same quarter in the previous year.

Requests for help from first-time callers also grew consistently.

Mary Waide, SVP Regional President for the North Region, described the number of calls received as "alarming but sadly not unexpected".

"What this also tells us is we have huge and growing societal needs here across a number of issues, from heating to eating and clothing, and these are basic human needs that we all require to survive," she said.

"While there are some support packages out there to assist people in need like the £600 energy support payment, they’re only temporary, making our work today even more necessary. We would appreciate donations to help people who are struggling now and who will continue to struggle through this winter".

Anyone interested in making a donation can contact SVP at www.svp-ni.co.uk, by emailing info@svpni.co.uk or by calling 028 9035 1561.