Caritas

Caritas Portsmouth is the social action and environmental action team within the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth.

It helps people in parishes and schools use their gifts and charisms to support their local communities through project initiation and development, sharing the love and mercy of God with the wider world.

Catholic Social Teaching

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“The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia) and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable.”

Benedict XVI

Deus Caritas Est #25

There are 7 key areas of need within the Diocese

Poverty and Financial Insecurity

One in three children and one in four adults live in poverty and poverty is at its highest rate this century. Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight have the highest percentage of children living in poverty. The Index of Multiple Deprivation from 2019 ranks these as the 55th, 57th and 80th most deprived areas in the UK. The diocese also has the two least deprived areas in the country, Hart and Wokingham.

Housing and Homelessness

In the Autumn of 2024, a snapshot of people sleeping outside (not including those in hostels, hotels and B&Bs) was estimated to be 3898 people in England, with 64 in Bournemouth and Poole, 36 in Reading and 24 in Southampton. 17,659 households were identified as homeless or at risk of being homeless across the diocese in 2023/4.

Ageing Population

10 million people in England are over the age of 65 and 1.6 million have unmet care needs and support. There is an expected increase of 30% of people aged 65-79 in the next 40 years. Ten local authorities are projected to see significant increases of one-person households containing someone aged 85 years and over. Five are within the diocese, East Hampshire, Hart, West Berkshire, Fareham and Test Valley.

Loneliness

Different life events can result in someone feeling lonely including bereavement, moving to a new area, unemployment, living with disabilities or having caring responsibilities. The regional average of people feeling always or often lonely is 6.66% but some areas are significantly higher including East Hampshire at 12.18% and Rushmoor at 12.41%.

Domestic Abuse

One in five women and one in ten men will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. 60% Christian domestic abuse survivors experienced spiritual abuse. In 2024 the UK Government declared violence against women and girls to be a national emergency.

Migrants and Refugees

In June 2024, there were more than 11,500 people seeking safety in the Diocese, and average of 0.34% of the population. 7800 people from Ukraine, 1153 from Afghanistan and 2634 people seeking asylum. The areas with the highest number of people seeking asylum are Portsmouth, Reading and Bournemouth.

Modern Slavery

There are an estimated 122,000 victims of Modern Slavery or Human Trafficking in the UK. One in four are children who are aged 17 or under. People are held in slavery through fear; for themselves, of the authorities and from threats to their families. Anyone can become a victim of Modern Slavery, although evidence is growing that some groups are more vulnerable including ethnic minorities, those socially excluded, foreign nationals and migrant workers.

Work is facilitated by

Sharing and creating opportunities for prayer and formation to respond to the needs in our communities.

Practical support for project initiation and development including fundraising support, training and support of volunteers.

Host networking opportunities and information sharing, engaging with other charities and organisations.

Visit our environment page for more information, updates and resources

For further information or to chat through ideas please get in touch at  caritas@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk  and  sign up  to receive our quarterly newsletter.