Letter: Demand for oil at St Vincent de Paul shows need for urgent action in Northern Ireland by government
A letter from Mary Waide:
The rise in calls to our Society of St Vincent de Paul regional office in Belfast from people who cannot afford to put oil in the tank is absolutely shocking and these figures only capture the people who are brave enough or willing to lift the phone.
Even with the brighter evenings, it is still bitterly cold and for people we are visiting, who are sitting in a cold and often damp home, there is little to no feeling of the arrival of spring.
While SVP volunteers are out in our local areas doing all we can to provide much needed assistance, the reality is that demand is far outpacing the limited resources we have available.
Without additional support, many households will continue to struggle to heat their homes.
We would urge anyone who needs help to contact us and with increased donations we can extend our support further and reach more people in crisis.
But charitable efforts alone are not enough - government needs to take a holistic and urgent approach to tackling poverty by recognising that households are being hit simultaneously by rising fuel, energy and food costs.
We need structured, long-term solutions, and greater statutory support, to address the dire and ever-increasing cost burdens being placed upon families and individuals.
Mary Waide, St Vincent de Paul national vice-president