The rise of the ‘working poor’ puts pressure on Vaughan food banks

The trend is in line with what’s happening in province

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 9, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

In spite of Ontario’s low unemployment rate, the province’s food banks continue to see increasingly high levels of use, the new Hunger Report for 2019 showed.

In the new report, Feed Ontario --formerly known as the Ontario Association of Food Banks --revealed a 27 per cent increase in the number of individuals with employment income accessing food banks over the last three years.

Vaughan food banks are among the agencies that are experiencing this change.

When the Vaughan Citizen asked executive director of the Vaughan Food Bank, Peter Wixson, if there is increased demand by this particular segment, he answered, “Absolutely.”

 “We have a lot of the working poor,” Wixson said, citing Vaughan’s “expensive rent.”

He gave an example of how a family with children can have a net income of $400 a week --approximately $1,600 a month --but needs to pay up to $1,200 in rent.

After paying the rent, “Some have nothing left for anything like transportation,” he explained.

It’s no wonder that the Vaughan Food Bank is currently supplying 2 million meals a year, on average, witnessing an increased demand coming from York Region's various agencies such as shelters.  Wixson shared the 2-million figure which he dubbed as on the "low side" as it can be higher, reaching up to 3 million meals, but it varies from one month to the next.

The Hunger Report itself also showed how 87 per cent of food bank visitors were rental or social housing tenants, showing telltale signs that there is an issue with accommodation costs.

And it’s not only Wixson who is feeling the heat.

Dr. Aslam Daud, chair of another food bank which has a location in Vaughan, Humanity First Canada, also said there is a “surge” of those who are working but need assistance “due to skyrocketing shelter costs in GTA.”

“This year almost every month we ended up buying food from stores,” Daud told the Vaughan Citizen. “This was in addition to food drives and donations that we received.”

“It is practically impossible to put food on the table, for a low-income family after paying the rent,” he said.

Daud shared some figures about its clients in Vaughan itself.

He said in 2017, Humanity First served 187 clients with part-time employment status, and 258 who worked full-time, out of a total of 3,347 families registered.

In 2018, there were 4,517 families registered, with 301 part-time and 358 full-time.

In 2019, the numbers see a further increase where 5,022 families were registered, with 346 part-time and 430 full-time.

Due to this increase, “We had to purchase food to meet the demand and also had to accept more volunteers to help in food hamper preparation,” Daud added.

Even for those who have jobs, uncertainty seems to cloud their lives even when the festive season is just around the corner.

“A lot more people are coming; immigration is starting to pick up again, and people are losing their jobs at around Christmas,” Wixson said, describing how there are cases of both partners being let go.

Wixson said people would be “surprised” to see that there are others who are working but still need assistance when it comes to food security, especially those who work in “low paying jobs” like those in fast-food restaurants, for example.

The Hung Report also shows that of those who are employed, about 48 per cent are minimum-wage workers who are 25 years or older, with one in three holding a post-secondary degree.

‘Changing job market’

Reflecting on these figures, Carolyn Stewart, executive director of Feed Ontario, said in a statement, “Ontario’s job market is changing. Not only are we seeing a rise in casual and contract employment, but we are seeing more adults having no choice but to work in temporary or minimum wage positions.”

“Oftentimes, these positions do not provide consistent wages or work hours, and seldom provide employer health benefits or paid time off,” Stewart added.

“This is reflected in Ontario’s food bank data, which indicates ‘low wages and/or insufficient hours’ as one of the most common reasons for needing support.”

Both food banks also are seeing people coming from outside York Region such as Toronto or Brampton in search of food in Vaughan.

Wixson said he will never turn away those people, but they won’t be allowed to thoroughly shop like the other registered clients unless the “social services are involved, then that’s a different situation if it’s urgent.”

“We give them two bags of food,” he said of the people who come south of what he calls the “border,” where Steeles is located. Wixson, however, doesn’t want his reserves to be “depleted” and wants to keep it continuing at least for his locality.