A very worrying report from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

A new report from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has revealed that there are 140,000 children in Ireland living in substandard and poor-quality homes. The report, titled 'Growing up in the Cold', described substandard conditions such as homes with a leaking roof, damp walls or floors and discussed the adverse effects of energy poverty on children. It also found that in 2018, 10.5% of one-parent households reported that they could not afford to adequately heat their home - the highest rate for all household types. Analysis of data from a sample of 9,000 five-year-old children showed that living in an inadequately heated home is linked to an increased risk of asthma and more frequent antibiotic use in young children. Doctor Tricia Keilthy, SVP Head of Social Justice, spoke about just how serious the results of these survey are, saying: "This report clearly shows that children are one of the groups most exposed to the risk of energy poverty and that growing up in a cold home has a distinct negative impact on a child’s health. "The findings suggest that policy levers to alleviate energy poverty and improve the quality of the housing stock will lead to significant health benefits and a reduction in health expenditure in the future." The 'Growing up in the Cold' report can be read in full here.