SVP reports over 260,000 help requests as families struggle with food and energy costs

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) received more than 260,000 requests for assistance in 2025, marking a 6 per cent increase on the previous year, as rising food and energy costs placed growing pressure on households.

The charity said demand rose sharply in the lead-up to Christmas, with requests in December up 12 per cent compared with the same period in 2024, highlighting the additional strain faced by families during the winter months.

Food assistance remained the largest area of need. SVP recorded 112,772 food-related requests during the year, an increase of more than 8,500 on 2024. For four months, the number of people seeking help with food exceeded 10,000 per month.

Requests for help with energy bills also reached record levels. SVP received 33,224 energy-related requests in 2025, with November marking the highest month for such requests in the organisation’s history.

Louise Bayliss, SVP head of social policy, said the figures did not yet reflect the full impact of winter energy costs. She noted that many households on bill-pay were only beginning to receive their first substantial winter bills.

“Over 300,000 households are now in arrears on electricity bills, while more than 180,000 are behind on gas payments,” she said. “In recent years, energy credits provided vital relief. Without them, many households are struggling to cope.”

Ms Bayliss said rising energy prices, combined with the removal of temporary supports, would leave the average household facing an additional €321 in costs next year. While the Fuel Allowance was increased in the most recent budget, she said it covered only €140 of that increase, leaving a significant shortfall for low-income households.

SVP also pointed to rising poverty levels, with the latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions showing consistent poverty increased from 3.6 per cent in 2024 to 5 per cent in 2025, while child consistent poverty rose from 4.8 per cent to 8.5 per cent — an increase of 45,000 children in one year.

“These are not abstract numbers,” Ms Bayliss said. “They represent children going to school hungry, living in cold homes, and missing out on basic necessities.”

SVP President Teresa Ryan said the charity was increasingly supporting people who had never previously needed help, including those who had once donated to the organisation.

“When food, energy and housing costs rise at the same time, families have nowhere left to turn,” she said. “The cost of staying warm and well is no longer just about electricity or gas.”

SVP is calling on the Government to adopt a more holistic approach to tackling poverty, warning that without further intervention demand for assistance is likely to continue rising into 2026.

Ms Ryan said that while volunteers continue to provide support without judgement, rising poverty levels were unacceptable in a growing economy and would require sustained policy action to protect the most vulnerable.