It’s the busiest time of year for the New Ross branch of one of Ireland’s most recognised charity organisations, St. Vincent de Paul.
On average, the New Ross volunteers are receiving approximately 20 calls daily from within the local district, with that expected to increase now that the festive season is among us. And while some families will celebrate comfortably, not all are in the same financial position, “particularly those impacted by the cost-of-living crisis,” said Seamus D’Arcy, branch manager of New Ross SVP.
“With the way things are going, anyone could fall on hard times, but the most common calls we’re receiving of late consist of families who are living on their week-to-week budgets that just don’t stretch any further than that. It’s when the appliances break down and need replacing or an unexpected bill arrives that we can relieve some, not all, but some financial pressures,” Seamus said.
“The work we do is completely confidential, and the procedure involves two of our Garda vetted volunteers meeting the person or family in need, to address their concerns and hopefully we can provide some assistance to them,” he added.
The SVP can provide assistance in many ways, such as sourcing home appliances, providing shopping vouchers to cover the cost of basic needs, electricity top-up vouchers, food hampers and more. Seamus said he would always advise those struggling financially to contact MABS if they are in any difficulty as “it’s a fantastic service that people should really utilise more because they can assist in reducing debt by building a personal plan to suit your circumstances, and the last thing anyone should do is engage with a loan shark.
"We see loan sharks benefitting from people in desperate situations all the time, and in most cases, it’s through no fault of their own,” said Seamus.
Seamus outlined how, according to most of the people he’s spoken with, are benefitting from the double family support payments as they put money away for their school-going children, expecting to have to pay for technological goods such as iPads in the near future.
“Everybody’s circumstances are different, but the SVP are always there to help,” Seamus added. He explained further that he and the other five volunteers in New Ross have taken part in specific training to understand the needs of the clients that reach out for help and that there is also a rigorous Garda vetting process to become an SVP volunteer. “We ensure our volunteers are doing this for the right reasons, that they’re trustworthy and never break a clients confidentiality.”
The SVP New Ross branch is extremely grateful to the local community as they continue to contribute massively to helping those in need through the service. Local businesses play a vital role in contributions as Seamus said “without their continued commitment, and generous donations, the SVP wouldn’t be in a position to provide the ongoing service within the community.
"Every contribution plays a role, whether it’s adding items to the food hampers or donating during our collection days,” he added.
“Along with thanking the local businesses, the schools have played a significant role in raising awareness and making massive donations to SVP, it would be terribly wrong not to mention the effort young students make every year to New Ross.
The contribution and support from the community creates the opportunity for the volunteers to focus more on meeting the families who need them, with food hampers and the likes at the ready.
"A lot of people think we get paid for this role, but it’s entirely voluntary and these donations make all the difference to how we operate our team involving logistics from making deliveries to giving families time to talk to us.
“In the last ten years, we’ve seen an increase in homelessness, just like everywhere else in the country, but there’s a new wave of poor. We have our clients that are with us for some time now, and on top of that cohort, there are more people needing our help, adding to the demand for much-needed services,” Seamus said.
He concluded by saying “the community is what keeps us going, whether they’re calling for help or to donate, we’re here to answer the call.”