The President of Clare SVP is anticipating an influx of people in this county presenting to its services this winter.
It’s after new data from the Central Statistics Office shows inflation is now at a 10 year high.
The cost of living here has risen for the tenth month in a row.
Transport costs are up by 10 percent in the past year alone, while utilities like water, electricity and gas have jumped by 7 percent in the same timeframe.
Price increases in restuarants, hotels and mortgage interest repayments have also been recorded.
It comes as St Vincent de Paul has launched its Combating Housing Exclusion in Ireland report today, which claims the ‘official number’ of over 8,000 people experiencing homelessness – including nearly 300 in the Midwest – is only around 20 percent of the ‘true figure’.
The charity’s Clare Area President, Denis Carty, says they have already been an experiencing increases in demand in this county over the last number of weeks.
He says families in particular are facing having to pay back arrears incurred when spending time at home during lockdowns.
Meanwhile, the Shannon-based Secretary of Active Retirement Ireland says there are elderly people in this county who are ‘on the poverty line’ because of price increases.
It’s understood minimal increases in the State pension are being considered in Budget 2022, which is due to be unveiled in four weeks’ time.
Kay Murphy believes older people are being forgotten about amid continued rising inflation.
