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Poverty has a trickle down effect on children, health outcomes and mental health.
Reducing Poverty
Providing the solutions to reduce poverty is much more humane and cost effective than ignoring the problem or providing superficial solutions.
Why this matters.
Poverty can be found in every municipality within Simcoe County. With rising costs of shelter, food, and energy, more families and individuals find themselves struggling to make ends meet.
Income inequality is also a prevalent issue across the region – of total Simcoe Muskoka income, nearly one-quarter (21%) goes to those who make up the richest 10% of the population, while just 3% goes to the population who make up the poorest 10%.
Poverty has a trickle down effect on children, health outcomes and mental health. One in eight households in our area are food insecure. Many of these people are working poor – people that have an income and job but cannot afford basic living standards. As a result, those living in poverty have higher rates of diabetes and heart disease. They have lower rates of mental, physical and oral health and life expectancy. This puts an additional burden on communities and community services.
This is why many poverty advocates agree that providing the solutions to reduce poverty is much more humane and cost effective than ignoring the problem or providing superficial solutions.
Nearly 50% of Simcoe County residents living in private households earn a pre-tax income of less than $39,999 per year.
Those at the high end of this spectrum, earning $39,999 per year, just meet the living wage standard of $19.05/hr, working 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.
Those earning less struggle to make ends meet.
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Did You Know…?
- While the minimum wage will increase from $15.00/hr to$15.50/hr on October 1, 2022, the living wage – what people need to make to be able to afford basic needs – is $19.05 for Simcoe County. Meaning someone working minimum wage is almost $4 short every hour to be able to provide basic things like food, shelter, transportation, clothing, child care, medical expenses and recreation.
- 12% of the Simcoe Muskoka population (or about 61,100 people) are living with low income. The rate varies by age group with:
- 15% (15,860) of children (under 18 years) living in low income
- 11% (35,985) of adults (between 18 and 64 years) living in low income
- 10% (9,270) of seniors (65 years and over) living in low income
- Some groups living in low income are over represented with:
- 32% (7,030) of lone-parent families living in low income
- 20% (6,445) of the population ages 25 to 64 years who have not completed high school or beyond living in low income.
- 20% (780) of recent immigrants (immigrated to Canada between 2006 and 2011) living in low income
- 19% (3,310) of Aboriginal identity population living in low income
- 15% (16,885) of the population with activity limitations/difficulties living in low income
(All stats from SMDHU’s Low Income Report)
- According to Feed Ontario, poverty costs Ontario roughly $27-33 billion per year when including lost revenue and taxes in addition to healthcare and services.
What You Can Do As A Municipal Leader:
- Develop a local poverty reduction task force and work closely with theSimcoe County Poverty Reduction Task Group to address systemic issues that cause poverty
- Implement local policies that address affordable housing, early childhood development, education and skills development, transit, social infrastructure and income security
- Lead by example for other employers in the area to pay a living wage
- Understand what poverty looks like in your municipality and assess your municipality’s commitment to reducing poverty here and make the appropriate shifts
Local organizations that can help.
United Way Simcoe Muskoka
Website: https://uwsimcoemuskoka.ca/
Email: bshelley@uwsimcoemuskoka.ca
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