Ms Karin Jonsson:

I thank the committee for inviting me to this meeting. I will address the issue of child poverty from the perspective of food poverty.

Clondalkin Cares food bank aims to provide essential food to those who need it now, to support people to address the issues which lead to food poverty and to end food poverty. In the past two years, we have engaged with over 3,000 people, half of whom were aged under 18. We currently support about 500 people on a regular basis.

Food poverty is defined as "the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability and accessibility". It is estimated that in 2018, 8% of the population experienced food poverty. With the Covid-19 pandemic, food poverty grew and some estimate it has more than doubled. Some 71% of those accessing our food bank say the pandemic is one reason they need us.

When people contact us we start by assuring them they will get food. It is not easy to ask for food. People feel shame and expect to be judged for not being able to provide for their family. They are scared and under an incredible amount of stress, so we reassure and listen. We also gather information. We record as many relevant statistics as possible. We need to understand what causes food poverty so we can work for change.

There will always be people who need food support for a while. This can be for a number of reasons but many of the reasons we see are systemic and not the result of an isolated incident. Half of the families state there is not enough money coming in to pay all the bills and buy enough food. Over one third of families are in debt. The "loan man", paying off catalogues and drug debts feature. Being in arrears with rent or electricity or taking a credit union loan to cover essentials has become the norm for some people and is sometimes only mentioned as an afterthought. Some 17% have increased costs for health reasons, such as needing to keep the heat on all the time, travelling costs to appointments and more expensive food. Some have to go private for assessment of needs or speech and language therapy as the waiting lists are endless.

A total of 14% are registered homeless. It is expensive to be homeless as many do not have access to adequate cooking and storage facilities. This can also be true for people living in direct provision and we believe there is a hidden number here of people who are struggling but not coming forward. Some 12% are waiting for a social welfare payment. Quite new here is that the pandemic is leading to families not receiving children’s allowance or a medical card and young adults living on their own not getting full social welfare payments for a long time.

People go hungry to make sure their children can eat. They switch on the heat for a while only when the children are at home. They choose between paying a bill or buying food. The constant stress of food poverty cannot be overestimated. It makes it near impossible to try to address other issues, like looking for a job or dealing with an addiction. What is especially sad is that many of the children whose parents or carers come to us are fully aware of their situation. They share their parents' worry, shame and stress. No child should ever have to experience this.