The family stress levels rising

Cuts in the Budget of the past two days are going to push struggling families to limits that will test their mental health, according to a Family Resource Centre manager in this region. He made the comments as it was revealed that the average household could be down by €1,000 in the year as a result of the Budget, before tax increases are taken into account. "There are some signs of people's mental health being challenged. The levels of stress have been raised a lot since we entered this financial crisis," co-chair of the National Forum of Family Resource Centres, Packie Kelly, told The Anglo-Celt. A regional meeting of family resource centres in the North-East is being held today as staff at the centres in Killeshandra, Cavan town, Clones, Monaghan, Kells, Trim and Drogheda brace themselves for a surge in demand for their services. Among the key concerns for families as the fallout of the Budget begins, according to Mr Kelly, are: children's allowance, lone parents, access to training schemes, rent allowance, heating oil and VAT on the electricity bill. He said families will take a huge hit from the cumulative effect of all the cuts in allowances and extra taxes. "The amount of cuts are going to compound the difficulties that families are facing," said Mr Kelly. "Over the last two years, we've seen more and more people come into the centres looking for information about budgeting and how to start discussions with their financial institution about how they can no longer pay their mortgage or loan." He said many of the people who come through the doors of the family resource centres in this region comprise women who are in charge of the household purse-strings and they can't tell the husband or partner that the mortgage hasn't been paid for two months or men who find themselves unemployed, see themselves as unemployable and are seeing no future for themselves. "Then there may be kids in that house, and it's having an impact on them," he said. The resource centres offer support and advice to families in financial difficulties as well as helping with sourcing retraining and employment opportunities, counselling, support for victims of domestic violence. Mr Kelly offered hope to those at their wit's end. "Please come into your local family resource centre if you're in need of assistance. Help and support are available. If we can't do it, we will signpost you to the relevant support service." Full Budget coverage in this week's Anglo-Celt.