This is very sad.
A significant portion of people in Ireland are feeling the financial pinch of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
According to RED C research commissioned by the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP), many people are experiencing pressures such as loss of income, increased household expenditure on basics, erosion of savings and falling behind on bills.
But most worryingly, there is also a large percentage of people – 24% to be exact – who reported cutting back on essentials like food, heat and electricity due to cost.
22% of people, meanwhile, reported using their savings in order to meet day-to-day living expenses and almost one third of people said their income had decreased since the start of the pandemic.
A third of single people with children reported cutting back on utilities, falling behind on bills or having to cut back on food due to cost.
Dr. Tricia Keilthy, SVP Head of Social Justice said” “Lone parents and people with disabilities are the groups most at risk of poverty in Ireland today and Covid-19 has added huge additional pressures to these groups as they navigated the practicalities of self-isolation and increased food and energy bills from being home.”
The problems for those who were struggling before the pandemic have only deepened due to its impact.
Of those who were finding it quite difficult or very difficult to manage prior to Covid-19, 49% were spending more on essentials compared to 35% of those who were living comfortably.
“These findings point to a divergence in experience during lockdown, with those most vulnerable to financial strain and poverty feeling the brunt of the negative economic consequence of the pandemic,” Dr. Keilthy said.
“While the Government policy response has mitigated significant income losses through the pandemic unemployment payment and wage subsidy schemes, this data shows that additional interventions for those most at risk of financial distress are needed to ensure the public health crisis is not followed by a deeper debt, homelessness and poverty crisis.”
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