Families afflicted by poverty

Combating social precariousness, especially in the periphery, it is the highlight of the report on the activities for the year 2014 presented by Caritas Spain, on the basis of figures regarding 70 diocesan Caritas and 7525 parish Caritas that form part of the Caritas Spanish Confederation.Increased investments. IN 2014 Caritas invested over 305 million euro (23.4% more compared to 2013) in various projects, centres and assistance services. Thanks to a wide range of programs to combat poverty, in 2014 it was possible to improve, in Spain and abroad, the dignity and access to human rights of over 4.3 million people in situations of major vulnerability. Caritas’ efforts for the defence of the dignity and the rights of the poor has been possible thanks to the commitment of 82thousand volunteers (+5% compared to 2013), with the support of some 4500 remunerated workers. Sectors with greater interventions. Out of 305 million invested in 2014, 222 millions (almost 73% of the total sum) are private offerings (donators, enterprises, bequests) and 83 million (27%) from public funds (Municipal Councils, independent governments, State Administrations and European Union). The social areas to which the Confederation allocates the majority of resources to the following programs: reception and assistance (80.5 million euro, 16% more than in 2013), employment and social economy (40.7 million, + 13.3%), elderly (35.5 million, 24.4% increased compared to 2013), the homeless (28.7 million, up 36.4%), family and children (23 million) and international cooperation (22 million ). Do not miss the commitment in those areas in which Caritas has been developing in the last years an answer particularly intense in situations of great social vulnerability, such as programs for housing (funded with 6.7 million Euros) health (2.9 million) and immigration (4.9 million). The profile of users. In addition to data from the Report, figures drawn from the Observatory on the Social reality of Caritas on the profile of the recipients of assistance from the confederate network of support and primary care show that 53% are couples with children, 19.3% are single women with dependant children while the remaining 11.3% are couples without children. As regards the nationality of family members, some 73% are Spanish or citizens or some Countries of the European Union and 26.6% are migrants from extra European countries. Another significant figure is that 53% of those followed by Caritas live in families where there is at least a working member. This shows that having a job doesn’t offer sufficient protection from the impact of poverty or social exclusion. Regarding this figure, as many as 65.8% of families supported by Caritas are unemployed, while long-term unemployed (more than a year) amount to 74.2%.Social exclusion. The Caritas reception network assists people from different neighbourhoods and thus, except in certain highly populated areas, social exclusion is widespread. In particular, 62% of accompanied persons live in good-level areas or neighbourhoods. Another figure emerged in the report is that the families supported by Caritas were previously helped by public social services. It was equally noted that 58.1% of the beneficiaries of Caritas support are in a state of poverty (33.2% moderate poverty, 24.9% severe poverty). 41,9% of those followed, although they are not poor in "statistical terms" suffer from social problems or live situations of precariousness or vulnerability. Of all those followed by Caritas, 68.4% experience situations of social exclusion. It must also be considered that some persons are affected both by poverty and by exclusion.