Housing has become a bottomless pit for family income.
Cáritas in the south of Madrid increases housing aid by 54.07% in 2022.
Cáritas Diocesana of Getafe has made an unprecedented expense in the “International Cooperation” item of €591,706.97, due to the war in Ukraine.
73% of the people served by Cáritas in the Diocese of Getafe in 2022 were women.
Cáritas Diocesana of Getafe presents its diocesan report corresponding to the activity carried out by the ecclesial organization in the south of the Community of Madrid during the year 2022.
A year that was marked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the great impact that the crisis generated by the conflict has had on the most vulnerable families in the south of the Community of Madrid.
A fact that has caused an increase in inflation that reached its maximum value in July 2022, reaching 10.8%. Which caused food to become more expensive by 15.7% in one year, increase interest rates, rents (9% in the Community of Madrid), the price of supplies (gas and electricity) and fuel. .
This has consolidated that the main demand of households in the 48 municipalities in the south of the Community of Madrid was for food, followed by housing aid for paying rent and the electricity bill.
Demand for housing aid grows
In 2022, Cáritas had to increase aid allocated to paying rent and supplies by 54.07%.
Families allocated 61% of their income nationally to essential expenses in 2022, such as food, housing or transportation. In the Community of Madrid this figure is 60%, one point below the state percentage.
This has caused a certain worsening of some indicators of material deprivation such as: not being able to afford to keep the home at an adequate temperature (+16.4%); not being able to afford a meal of meat, chicken or fish at least every two days (+7.8%), or not being able to afford unforeseen expenses (+5.7%).
Furthermore, inflation has caused a rise in mortgage interest rates and greater obstacles to families purchasing a home, and, as a consequence, an increase in rental prices.
This has more influence on the most vulnerable families, since 56.04% of the people served by Cáritas in the south of Madrid during 2022 lived in a rental regime, and 28.06% in an apartment or a room relet, almost 6% more than in 2021 (year of great impact of the pandemic).
More and more families are forced to rent a room or re-rent rooms within their home in order to be able to make payments or have a home.
As a consequence of this situation, the demand for prepared food has grown, as there is no access to the kitchen or the means to prepare it. For this reason, in 2022 the parish soup kitchen in Santa Teresa was launched, which has served 81 people daily, distributing 9,597 menus.
Consequences of Inflation
The central issue of the context in which this report is presented has to do with the inflationary process in which the world economy finds itself.
This has caused many families that were beginning to recover from the COVID-19 crisis to fall again.
During 2022, the demand for help decreased by 6.65% compared to 2021, even so, the help of Cáritas Diocesana of Getafe has reached 36,154 people through its different programs.
Despite this slight decrease in people served, the resources invested have increased. And this is due to two causes: Due to inflation, everything is more expensive and greater spending has to be made on the same care, and the conditions in which families arrive are worse, poverty becomes chronic for a longer period of time, which is why , the interventions are more global and long-lasting.
This increase in the resources invested has been reflected in main items such as the “Reception and Assistance” project, which has increased spending by €76,313.01, 61.48% more than in the year before the pandemic. It is the gateway to Cáritas, from which 32,584 people have benefited and from which they are directed to other actions.
Increases the percentage of women served
The majority of Cáritas resources, centers and services are attended by women in situations of poverty and social exclusion.
Specifically, in 2022, 73% of the people served were women, 11% more than the previous year.
26.33% of the people served lived in a single-parent home. A housing model, on the rise, that is accompanied by an increase in the risk of falling into poverty, especially when they are headed by women, as is the case in most cases.
To alleviate this situation, Cáritas in the south of Madrid increased the housing item by €89,875.7, with the aim of refurbishing the new apartment in Alcorcón of the “Hogares del Sur” project; intended for single-parent families, of women with dependent children without a home.
Loneliness, a source of exclusion for the elderly
In a survey carried out with the Parish Caritas, it was shown how many of them cared for elderly people in a situation of loneliness.
More than 400 people without a social fabric to accompany them and help them in their daily lives.
That is why Cáritas Diocesana of Getafe, through its “Elderly” program and, above all, its “Júbilo” project, carries out work to detect situations and analyze needs, individual support, home visits, cultural activities and leisure, facilitating access to public resources and financial aid so that they can remain at home and in their social and family environment for as long as possible.
The consequences of the war in Ukraine reach the Diocese of Getafe
This conflict has also had its impact in the south of the Community of Madrid. The Diocese of Getafe mobilized to respond to this emergency and created the “Hospitality Table.” A body made up of the different delegations of the Vicarage of Charity, among which was Cáritas and the Ukrainian chaplaincy of the Diocese of Getafe. From this body it was decided that financial aid would be centralized through Cáritas and reception protocols were established so that the refugees who were arriving could access all their rights.
For this reason, Cáritas Diocesana of Getafe made an unprecedented expense in the “International Cooperation” item of €591,706.97. This investment has been possible thanks to the great response from the residents of the Diocese of Getafe who donated €228,706.97 and the contribution of the Leganés City Council for the construction of the San Josafat Ukrainian refugee center.
A center that is the only one for this mission in the south of the Community of Madrid, and that is designed to become a day center for seniors in the future.
In addition, Cáritas has assisted more than 278 Ukrainian refugees through the 97 Parish Caritas since the conflict began. Most demanded food and clothing.
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