St Vincent de Paul Regional President says the Programme of Government should be a turning point addressing social exclusion
Speaking on behalf of the largest voluntary charity in Ireland, Mary Waide, Regional President for the Northern Region of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, has said that the publication of the Programme for Government needs to be a turning point in the level of ambition and action shown by the Executive in tackling social exclusion.
Mary Waide said: “Following the publication of the draft Programme for Government, SVP had called for the Executive to prioritise ending poverty within the Programme for Government.
Also, the SVP says it is supported in its call by many other organisations working directly with people in poverty.
“We are disappointed this was not included and that the final document lacks the clear action plan needed to eradicate poverty.
“Every day St Vincent de Paul members witness that poverty continues to affect too many people and communities throughout Northern Ireland.
“This causes people we assist to go without basics such as heat, healthy food and adequate housing… and data shows that for many groups poverty rates are rising.”
Taking the positives from the newly published Programme for Government, Mary added: “However we are pleased that the final Programme for Government makes an explicit reference to publishing an Anti-Poverty Strategy.xa0
“With one in five children living in poverty, our attention must now turn to the contents of this Strategy, and we call for it to be comprehensive and fully-funded.
“We need to see policy and system changes to tackle poverty and exclusion in the lives of people we assist.”
SVPxa0is an internationalxa0charityxa0and thexa0largestxa0voluntaryxa0charityxa0inxa0Ireland. The SVP is committed to promoting self-sufficiency and working diligently for social justice, the charityxa0has an active Social Justice Group in the Northern Region.
Mary Waide added: “Looking ahead, the group will continue to build on the experience of SVP members and Conferences who are dedicated in working tirelessly across all communities to support individuals, regardless of their background, who are battling poverty and social exclusion.”
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