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When parenthood rhymes with precarity

Monday 13 May 2024

Just a few days ago, on 15 May, we celebrated the International Day of Families. It was an opportunity to reflect on the precarious situation experienced by some families here in Luxembourg.

We don't have to tell you that there are a lot of families, most of them single parents or with several children, who can't make ends meet, especially with the cost of living rising all the time, not to mention housing costs. A third of these families are now at risk of poverty. We can't let that happen!

Many families in difficulty are turning to us. Their needs are many and varied. We come to their aid, whatever the problem. We help them to find accommodation, we provide vouchers for our social groceries, we help them to furnish their homes, we offer financial assistance to buy clothes, advance medical expenses or for a rent guarantee, we support them in their administrative procedures, but also psychologically, etc. We invite you to read below the testimonies of two of our social workers who support and help these families on a daily basis.Campagne mai 2024

The list of activities we carry out on behalf of these families is long, but so are our needs. And all our efforts would not be possible without your support. That's why we're appealing to your generosity once again today: we need your help to be able to continue helping them.

Every gesture counts. Every donation counts.

Thank you so much! 

Ana-Marija Soric"Our door is open to anyone in difficulty".

Many families knock on our door every day asking for help. They are looked after by our Accueil social. We offer help, listening, information, guidance and support to anyone living in Luxembourg. There are food, clothing, medical and furniture needs, requests for financial assistance for one-off needs, etc. The requests are very varied. Recently, a very young single mother of twins barely a year old, on a very limited income, called on us: every day she had to travel more than 4 hours by public transport between her home, the crèche and the lycée where she was training. Their day started even before 5am! She didn't have the money to take her driving test. We paid for it. So that her life could change and she could offer her children a better future. Every gesture can make a lasting difference to someone's life.

Ana-Marija Soric, Head of the Caritas Luxembourg Social Welcome Centre

Susana Monteiro"Access to decent housing is a major challenge for low-income families".

More and more families are coming to us: single mothers, large families, people who have just obtained international protection status, and so on. It's a real challenge for them to find affordable accommodation. So we help them by making one of the social housing units we manage available to them and assisting them with a broader integration project. The aim is for them to find a job and then move on to private housing. Like this family, a couple and their 3 little girls, who left a hostel a few months ago when they obtained the status of beneficiaries of international protection. We made one of our rental properties available to them, at a moderate rent. They had a lot of problems, particularly with their father's health, and they accumulated debts. Today, we're helping them to get out of debt. We also refer them to appropriate language courses to help them integrate into society. It's a long process, with long-term support, but it's necessary to give them the chance they deserve!

Susana Monteiro, Social Worker, Housing for Social Inclusion

Familles dans le besoin_campagne mai 2024

 

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