St Vinnies says more help needed

The St Vincent de Paul Society says it is receiving more calls for help as job losses increase in the wake of the economic downturn.

Launching its Christmas appeal, the organisation says low-income groups are feeling the pinch, with requests for food assistance and accommodation significantly higher than last year.

Senior researcher with the charity, Dr Andy Marks, says the bad news is already here and it is only going to get worse.

"We're seeing a lot more people slip into that category that we would describe as marginally housed which, essentially, is just one step away from homelessness," he said.

"A lot of the predictions are suggesting that unemployment will rise in coming months.

"I can say that in some sectors that's already hit and as you would expect, it's in the low-skilled sectors, things like retail. It's already happening."

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Wed 19th November 2008 - 05:37pm