SVP and MABS gear up
for busiest year in 15 years
A SPOKESPERSON for the St Vincent de Paul society in
Inishowen has said they are bracing themselves for
their busiest winter for 15 years as the reality of
the economic downturn begins to hit home.
Speaking to the Inishowen Independent, Kevin Cooley
President of the Buncrana conference of St Vincent
de Paul said that local conferences have noticed a
large increase in the number of families approaching
their members seeking assistance to cope with the
costs associated with sending their children back to
school.
“Conferences have recorded a 40% increase in
requests compared to this time last year and many of
these relate to school costs,” he said.
And backing a call from the St Vincent de Paul in
Dublin for an increase in the Back to School
Allowance he said that the society was all too aware
that apart from having to pay for uniforms and
books, parents sending children back to school had
to pay for other expenses such as compulsory gym
footwear, photocopying and stationery costs, and
voluntary contributions to the school.
He warned however that back to school costs are just
among the many bills that some families in
difficulty are now struggling to pay.
Mr. Cooley suggested that because employment was at
an all-time high so too was disposable income and as
a result people could afford to buy their new homes,
foreign holidays and cars that their parents could
only have dreamt of.
“Those who didn’t have the resources to support and
compete with the luxurious lifestyle of their
neighbour the lure and availability of easy credit
to has led to a widespread debt epidemic that has
hit many in Donegal,” he said.
Explaining that the Money Advice and Budgeting
Service (MABS) were working hand in with St. Vincent
DePaul to help people, he urged those who were in
difficulty to make sure they did something about it.
“People are in denial and cannot accept the fact
that they cannot support the superior lifestyle they
have had for so long. They must cut back on spending
if they do not have the necessary income and resist
the temptation to feed the problem by borrowing
more.”
Warning people to beware of loan sharks and
sub-prime lenders who are growing in number around
the country and are helping only to make big
problems even bigger, he concluded by urging people
to contact MABS or the St Vincent de Paul if they
need help. If you need help contact SVP 07491 73933
or MABS Buncrana on 9321856. (Story: Inishowen
Independent) |
