Jersey charity struggling with cost-of-living support

A Jersey charity is struggling to help increasing numbers of islanders with the rising cost of living.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is helping hundreds more people than usual with food supplies and energy payments.

It has been getting the same number of requests for help with electricity bills as it usually would in the winter, it said.

Dominic Egre, from the organisation, said more ready meals were also being given out.

Mr Egre said rising costs were also affecting the charity, with some suppliers now charging almost 50% more for the meals.

He said: "We used to be able to get them for a pound at a local retailer, but they've all gone up to between £1.29 and £1.45, just in the period of the last couple of weeks.

"We are having to make far more food orders than we would normally to buy in food, because the donations don't meet demand."

The Jersey Community Foundation, which provides financial support for local charities, community and voluntary groups in Jersey, said it has also been struggling.

Anna Terry, of the foundation, said: "[We have] £500,000 of applications and we only have £200,000 to distribute, so we were very oversubscribed and then that is hard because we then have to really make a decision on who gets that funding."

The government announced earlier different types of financial support to help islanders with the rising cost of living in its mini budget, which will be debated by the States Assembly in September.

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