There was a 6% rise in the number of people seeking help from the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) last year compared with 2024.
Requests made in December were 12% higher, highlighting the added strain on households during the winter months, according to the charity, reports RTE.
Out of 260,799 requests for assistance in 2025, 112,772 related to food, an increase of 8,548 on the previous year. During four months of the year, food-related requests exceeded 10,000 per month.
Demand for support with energy costs also increased, reports RTE.
Overall, SVP received 33,224 requests for energy assistance in 2025, with November marking the highest number of energy-related requests the charity has ever recorded.
SVP Head of Social Policy Louise Bayliss said many people on bill-pay are only now receiving their first “real winter bills”, reports RTE.
She said she is concerned that the full effect of rising energy prices will only become apparent as the winter continues.
“Figures show that over 300,000 households are in arrears on their electricity bills and more than 180,000 are behind on gas. In recent years, energy credits provided vital relief. Without them, many households are now struggling to cope, especially those on the Fuel Allowance who face the highest risk,” she said, reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Bayliss said there are 360,000 households using pay-as-you-go meters.
“We’re not really sure what’s happening to them,” she added, reports RTE.
Ms Bayliss said these households are paying more for their energy and are more likely to be on lower incomes.
“We know a lot of them are involuntarily disconnecting because they’ve run out of money to provide the meter,” she said, reports RTE.
She said it can be difficult to encourage people to move away from pay-as-you-go systems because they fear receiving large bills.
“Many of them are on them because they did run up arrears previously. They were suggested to go on these hardship meters so that they would avoid going into bills again.
“But what happens is households are left without electricity a couple of days a week and we need that data,” Ms Bayliss said, reports RTE.
According to the latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions, consistent poverty rose from 3.6% in 2024 to 5% in 2025.
Child consistent poverty increased from 4.8% to 8.5% in just one year, representing an additional 45,000 children, reports RTE.
Ms Bayliss said these figures represent real people and real experiences.
“They are children going to school hungry, living in cold homes, and missing out on the basics that support a healthy childhood,” she said, reports RTE.
SVP has called on the Government to adopt what it describes as a “holistic approach” to tackling poverty, recognising that households are being impacted at the same time by rising energy, food and housing costs, alongside the removal of temporary cost-of-living supports.
SVP President Teresa Ryan said people who had never previously needed help, including some who once donated to the charity, are now seeking assistance, reports RTE.
“The cost of staying warm and well is no longer just about electricity or gas. When food and housing costs rise at the same time, families have nowhere left to turn.
“Our volunteers continue to provide support, without judgement, wherever we can. But Ireland should not be seeing rising poverty in a country with a growing economy. We need measures that deliver real, lasting protection for the most vulnerable,” she said, reports RTE.
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