Charity workers at St Vincent de Paul (SVP) are handling a fifth more calls so far this year.
The soaring cost of living is leading to thousands of more calls to their phone lines, with the charity reporting that they have received 78,000 calls for help so far this year.
It comes as prices continue to rise, but the Government continue to insist that there will be no more relief for people struggling to make ends meet until the Budget in October.
Read More: Housing crisis is 'easier to describe than solve' says Tanaiste Leo Varadkar
The furthest Tánaiste Leo Varadkar would go today was to say that the Government would monitor the situation over the summer.
However, he then said that the Government is preparing the next cost of living relief package to be announced on Budget day and that it has no plans to do anything ahead of October.
Meanwhile, the SVP says that the rising cost of living is pushing more and more families into poverty.
And the charity believes that an increase in social welfare rates is key to helping poorer people.
Dr Tricia Keilthy, SVP Head of Social Justice, said: "From our volunteers’ work in communities, we know countless examples of people across the country unable to heat their homes and feed and care for their families.
"The cost of living measures provided so far have helped and given people temporary relief.
“But people on low and fixed incomes were often already at the brink, battling a rising tide of high rents, growing bills, often juggling health conditions and caring responsibilities.
“Data from the ESRI and Central Bank clearly shows the disproportionate impact of rising prices on low income households.
"It is critical that the upcoming Budget directs resources towards people on low and fixed incomes, otherwise more people will be pulled into poverty and those already struggling to get by will be pushed even further into hardship.
"Social welfare rates should act as a lifeline, keeping people on low and fixed incomes afloat in a sea of rising living costs.
“Increasing them ahead of inflation is the only way to protect people.
“This should be a first step in a wider plan to strengthen our social protection system making it more resilient to economic shocks and allowing people to live with dignity.”
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
