Diocesan Caritas of Ivrea: “We are afraid of not being able to help all those who ask”

Director Ricci: “For now we are able to absorb the increases in our utilities and for the housing emergency, but we are worried”

IVREA. “The requests for help, including economic ones, have increased significantly in the last year – explained the director of the Diocesan Caritas of Ivrea, Emiliano Ricci – and in the last two months especially those for economic support due to the exponential increases in electricity and gas bills. . The increases obviously also concerned the direct users of Caritas (paid with our funds of 5 per thousand) which at the moment do not create problems, but worry us in view of the winter when the consumption of gas will increase significantly for our headquarters and for housing used for housing emergencies. For the moment, in addition to being able to absorb the increases in our users, we are also able to respond to the growing demands for economic aid ».

“We are very afraid – added Ricci – of not being able to ensure the necessary financial support, albeit partial, for electricity and gas bills next winter, when consumption will inevitably increase”. To give sad confirmation of the understandable concerns are the numbers that has pitted the director of the diocesan Caritas, starting from those of the sharp increase in domestic utility bills. “At the end of August – highlighted Ricci – for the bills we received requests for help from about 400 families, for a total of over 2,500 euros, to which we have managed, for now, to contribute by keeping our rules: partial help, up to a maximum of 90 euros for those of a higher amount, and full coverage up to that amount “. But, in addition to these numbers, the director highlighted all the others, which confirm the figure of the sharp increase from 450 to 950 in families who turn to Caritas. “The significant increase is due in part to the arrival of numerous families who fled from Ukraine, who however have the firm intention of returning to their country soon – explained Ricci – but also from the 70 families of Brazilians and Argentines with Canavese roots who are they are permanently transferred, but without having any income, to the countries of origin of their grandparents or great-grandparents in the Canavese area. We – added the director of Caritas – can help them in various possible ways: food bags, clothing, and also basic and specialist health support, to the 150-200 foreigners who come to us because they are not of Italian nationality and do not have the ‘national health care, but unfortunately we are absolutely unable to meet their accommodation needs as we have about twenty guests: 5 mothers with children, 4 men, 6 families, in our hospitality facilities which are all intended only for residences for housing emergencies ».

Thanks to the contributions of the Food Bank and the local supermarkets, the food bag is distributed to the current 6-700 families. Among these, about 130 also receive fresh food products and, in the cases of the most disadvantaged ones (with an income of less than 3,000 euros), also fruit and vegetables, purchased with their own economic resources from the diocesan Caritas of Ivrea. –

Sandro Ronchetti