The Society of St Vincent de Paul spent almost €2.6 million a month last year helping households struggling with poverty. Calls for help increased 60 per cent this year on last year.
At the society's annual appeal for help, to be made later today, its president Mr Brian O'Reilly will call on the Government to "recognise the continuing reality of poverty and social exclusion in Ireland" and express the society's belief that Irish society is "socially unjust".
Mr O'Reilly will point out that spending by the society on such basics as food, clothing, fuel and furniture were up last year by 7.4 per cent compared with 2002. Public support, which last year amounted to €23.5 million, is critical to its work, the society says. Public donations make up 75 per cent of the society's income.
"Last year we had to spend €600,000 a week fighting poverty and social exclusion," said Mr O'Reilly. "Social exclusion is not just a snapshot of inequality. It encompasses material deprivation certainly, but it also denies people the opportunities to participate fully in life."
In its appeal the society points to a series of reports showing the increasing levels of inequality and the fact that, for many thousands of people, life in Ireland in 2004 is a daily struggle.
Among these is the September report from the ESRI highlighting the increasing gap between rich and poor. Also in September the National Competitiveness Council showed Ireland to be the most expensive country in the euro zone for food and the second most expensive in the EU.
The UN human development report earlier this year found Ireland spent the least of all EU countries on social inclusion measures, while in October an EU report found the income gap continued to increase in Ireland, with more than 20 per cent of the population living on less than 60 per cent of the median income.
The economic climate is again favourable, the society says, to tackle social exclusion. A commitment to doing this must be forthcoming in Wednesday's Budget. In its pre-Budget submission earlier this month, the society called on the Government to concentrate on four specific areas - income adequacy, social housing, education and health.
Among the calls the society makes in the area of income are for an increase in the minimum social welfare rate of €20 to €154.80 per week, an increase in the old age non-contributory pension of €14 to €168 per week and the standardisation of the child dependant allowance (CDA) at €28 per week. The CDA, which goes only to children in families dependent on welfare, has been frozen for 10 years.
The society is calling on the Government to provide a minimum of 8,500 units of social housing. Currently, local authority waiting lists indicate there are 60,000 households, including 50,000 children, without suitable housing.
Free morning education should be provided for all three year olds, the back to school clothing and footwear allowance should be increased by a minimum of €70 to €150 for primary pupils and by €50 to €200 for secondary pupils and this allowance should be available to all households in receipt of family income supplement (FIS). FIS is a payment made to households on very low salaries.
The society is also calling on the Government to, at minimum, restore medical card coverage to at least 2001 levels, which would require an additional 100,000 cards.
The society is determined to challenge the belief that "poverty does not exist". Though levels of consistent poverty have fallen, it is a continuing reality for about 6 per cent of the population. Living with consistent poverty includes not having a warm coat, not having a hot meal every day and not having a second pair of shoes. Those groups at greatest risk are families headed by a lone mother or by a person with a disability.
