Marie-Josée Jacobs, the president of Caritas Luxembourg, is at the forefront of a mission to support the most disadvantaged members of society get through the global pandemic.
Speaking to RTL on Wednesday, she says it is striking that there are many young adults, often under 40 years old and who until now have been regularly employed, asking for help at a social institution for the first time in their lives.
What is “remarkable” is that “a part of these people, when the situation improved for them, came back to return the money”.
“The problem of poverty has worsened”, explains Jacobs, citing the example of employees who receive a minimum social wage and who have been placed on partial unemployment. “It may seem very generous to say ‘you get 80% of your salary’ but the remaining 20% is still missing”, not to mention the people who work in the Horesca or hairdressing sector and no longer receive tips.
“Some tell us that the difference represents between €500 and €600 per month. This is a big sum if you only have a modest income.”
“We have a new kind of poverty and more poor people than we had before the health crisis. It is a new and brutal situation that we have never experienced before.”
She is of the opinion that this new phenomenon will “not fade as quickly as one might think” because it is linked to housing and therefore the urgency is felt of having to pay rent so as not to end up on the street.
The new measures will come into force on 26 December, but this will not fix things on the poverty front.
Single parents are particularly exposed, but the population that greatly concerns the president of the charitable organisation are children in school who have serious educational delays. For those who were already disadvantaged before the crisis, “the difference will become even more pronounced”, Jacobs concludes.
She fears the emergence of a “new generation of poor people in Luxembourg” if these children are not accompanied in a “very targeted” way and for “at least a year” by qualified personnel to benefit from real help and support, such as tutoring.
“It’s really about giving children a chance and helping them so that they can then continue to learn and learn a trade” so that they can build a future.
Those most affected by the crisis in our society are the homeless, especially with the onset of winter. Jacobs has met many and testifies to their difficulty in surviving at a time when there are very few people in the City, so few charitable souls to donate a few coins to those who have nothing left.
Caritas Luxembourg is already considering the creation of a new helpline and how to support “those who have not managed to find their feet” in the meantime.
