Poverty and homelessness

“Without adequate housing and support, people with severe addictions and/or mental illness who are homeless often cycle through the streets, prisons and jails, and high cost health care settings such as emergency rooms and psychiatric inpatient units.”
- University of B.C. report: Support for Adults with Severe Addictions and/or Mental Illness in British Columbia

Prevalence of low income in Simcoe County is less than the provincial average for all family types but represents approximately 10,000 families in Simcoe County as living in low income. (Reported by the County of Simcoe - The Demographic Context of Homelessness in Simcoe County found at www.endhomelessness.ca)

In its report, The Truth about Poverty in Simcoe County, the United Way addresses common myths about the standard of living in our community:

 

MYTH: People living in poverty do not have a job.

FACT: A major contributor to homelessness in the region is the growing gap between housing expenditures and low-wage incomes.

 

MYTH: Full-time workers earn enough to support themselves and their families.  

FACT: Just less than half of all households cannot manage to own a home without putting pressure on other necessary expenditures such as food, clothing, and transportation.

 

MYTH: Poverty is only an issue for the poor.

FACT: Low incomes also reduces the goods and services businesses can sell, reducing employment opportunities and detracting from the multiplier effect associated with a thriving economy.

FACT: Statistics Canada reports that 17% of the county population age 20-34 has not completed high school, yet improving income levels often requires obtaining education or trade skills which take time and money to acquire, and which many adults find difficult to access.

FACT: After years of struggling to make ends meet, many seniors must continue to work after they reach the age of retirement.

 

To read more of this report by the United Way, please visit: http://www.unitedwaysimcoecounty.on.ca/pdf/PovertyMyths.pdf

 

The need is clear. The average 3 bedroom apartment in Simcoe County rents for $1,144 per month while the average income for a full time worker at minimum wage is only $1,645.

In December 2009, the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) put out a 12 page report with a call to action for 1) a significant increase in the number of subsidized housing units and 2) supports for housing that are pro-active and focus on ending the cycle of homelessness.

To read more of this report by the SCATEH, please visit:  http://www.endhomelessness.ca/

 

Population growth and the recent economic downturn has resulted in a dramatic increase in the use of social services and charitable programs geared at the most vulnerable in our society while the level of service has remained the same.

 

At least 7,500 people experienced homelessness (accessing an emergency shelter or temporarily living with friends, in a motor vehicle, alleys or parks); 30% of shelter users were under the age of 25, while 33% were female