The number of people with overdue electricity bills in Germany has doubled in three years, according to Caritas, which also denounces an increase in cases of indebtedness in rent payments and financial difficulties.
The conclusions were communicated by Cáritas to the Lusa agency, and are part of a study that will be presented this Monday, based on the almost 500 centers of the institution’s General Social Guidance Service, spread throughout the country.
“The 468 counseling centers are the first point of contact for people with social problems that they can’t deal with. They are a reliable seismograph of the country’s problems and emergencies”, revealed the president of Caritas, Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa.
“Many problems are ‘old acquaintances’ (…) but the importance of other issues is increasing. The housing situation, high rents and heating costs are putting more and more people in danger“, he stressed.
In 2019, 4.8% sought help from Cáritas for late or non-compliance with energy bills. This year, the proportion reaches almost 11%, a universe that exceeds two thousand requests????????
????????Energy debt is becoming more common???????? A trend that started before February 2022 (beginning of the war in Ukraine), but which gained strength due to the geopolitical evolution of energy prices”, said Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa.
On the other hand, the problems related to the debts in the payment of the rents motivated the request for advice of 9.6% of those who went to Cáritas.
The non-profit association “Berliner Tafel”, which is dedicated to the distribution of food and prepared meals, has also seen an increase in requests for help. According to spokeswoman Antje Trölsch, The number of people who go to the distribution points of the institution doubled from January to now????????
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, Trölsch also underlines that the volume of food distributed by solidarity institutions has also grown. In addition to the homeless, there are now groups of Ukrainians and people with financial difficulties due to rising prices and inflation.
“The volunteers are exhausted,” the spokesperson stressed, adding that food rations had to be cut to reach those who need it most.
Source: Observadora
