IRELAND: Unaffordable cost for parents: St. Vincent de Paul received 30 calls per hour

IRELAND: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul's (SVP) regional offices took an average of 30 calls an hour this year from parents who could not afford to send their children back to school.

The calls come as the overall demand for SVP’s services is up almost 20% compared to last year.

A statement from the SVP this afternoon said that almost half of the requests came from one parent families, which they said reflected “the very high levels of poverty experienced among these families”.

Rose McGowan, SVP National President said that while the increase this year in the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA) and free school transport was helping families, these measures are only temporary and are “still a long way off meeting the needs of families struggling with school costs”.

The calls come at a time when overall demand for SVP's services has increased by about 20% over the previous year.

According to a statement released by the SVP this afternoon, almost half of the requests came from families with only one parent, which they claimed was indicative of "the extremely high levels of poverty suffered by these families."

Although this year's increases in the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BTSCFA) and free school transportation were beneficial to families, according to Rose McGowan, SVP National President, these measures are only short-term and "still a long way off meeting the needs of families struggling with school costs."

“Parents tell us that by the time the bills are paid, they have little or nothing left to buy food, are struggling to pay for school books and uniforms, and are appealing for parental donations.

“Many parents tell us that they feel they are failing their children by not being able to cover the increasing costs at back-to-school time. This has a huge impact on parents’ mental health and well-being,” McGowan said.