The Society of Saint Vincent De Paul (SVP) has told the government that those people getting help from the charity have no more to give the Government in December's budget.Launching the organisation’s Pre-budget submission, SVP President Mairead Bushnell said that there was palpable worry and uncertainty about the Budget among people on social welfare and low pay.
Noting that demand for its services has almost doubled in the last three years she said, “People we employ to answer the phones are suffering real stress from nine o’clock until five o’clock because they are hearing one story which is worse than another. One-parent families and other households with children, people living alone, migrants and some self-employed are particularly vulnerable.”
She added, “It has been a long time since SVP volunteers were in homes where there was not enough food, clothes or shoes. We dealt with that in the late 1970's and early 1980's and thought it was gone forever. It's back now.”
As well as its calls on social welfare, SVP has called for self-employed people to be allowed build up a PRSI credit for job seekers benefit.
Among its proposals on education, SVP wants the government to require schools to ask for voluntary contributions from parents on a staggered basis and to improve literacy and numeracy standards.
On health, SVP has called on the government to remove the 50 cent prescription charge and to maintain the €120 drugs refund ceiling payment at its current level.
They also want local authority rents to be standardised throughout the country.
Figures released by SVP at its pre-budget submission reveal that in 2009, SVP spent €66.6 million on direct assistance and in providing services, while last year, the organisation spent just over €75 million.
This year, the charity will launch its annual appeal on November 21 and is hoping that contributions will be similar to those in 2010.
Nearly two thirds of the SVP's income comes directly from public donations while the remainder comes from its shops and other services.
Meanwhile the charity has said that it is fully behind government measures to tackle welfare fraud.
Ms Bushnell said that while the society will support any measures the government introduces in the next budget to curb welfare fraud, that from its work on the ground, SVP does not believe welfare fraud is a major issue.
Instead she said that, “The complicated nature of the welfare system results in anomalies, delays and barriers for individuals and families trying to access payment.”