By Thomas Goyer
Statistics presented by the United Way of Simcoe Muskoka to District Council on April 14 depicted a stark affordability trend in Muskoka.
Brian Shelley, Chief Executive and Philanthropy Officer with the United Way of Simcoe Muskoka, gave District councillors an update on poverty and housing issues in the region. Shelley acknowledged that the statistics that he was using in his presentation were from 2020 and were out of date but stated that the pandemic had only increased affordability and housing issues in the region.
He noted that according to Living Wage Ontario, the living wage in Muskoka is $19.65 an hour. Anyone making below this wage is in danger of falling below the poverty line and being unable to meet their needs. According to Shelley, a living wage consists of the amount of money needed in order for an individual to feed, clothe and house themselves, access transportation, have internet access, pay a phone bill, and have a small amount of funds left over for recreational activities. He said minimum wage provides no room for savings and although the minimum wage is expected to increase in Ontario it will still fall $3 short of a living wage.
Shelley told councillors that four of the five largest occupations in Muskoka make less than the living wage. This includes retail sales, those working at food counters, cleaners, and cashiers. These wage concerns are also directly related to increases in housing costs.
“Housing costs or shelter costs directly impact what a living wage is in this community,” Shelley said.
He said in 2020, a mortgage in Muskoka cost about $1,110 a month compared to just over $1000 a month for a rental unit and those numbers have since increased. He said over 50 per cent of people renting spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, which means that they are at risk of becoming unhoused. One in five homeowners is living beyond what they can truly afford in paying for their household. Shelley estimated that 150 individuals were presently unhoused within Muskoka.
He said poverty and food insecurity within Muskoka also need attention. At least 13 per cent of the population in Muskoka is living in poverty. One in eight people and one in six children in Muskoka are experiencing food insecurity. This means that these individuals are unsure of where their next meal will come from. Shelley reiterated that all of these statistics are from before the pandemic and have likely gotten worse.
“The sad part is that most of this data is pre-pandemic, most of this data is pre-inflation. We can assume that these numbers are getting worse, not getting better.”
After detailing concerning affordability statistics throughout Muskoka, Shelley went on to discuss programs and initiatives the United Way is involved with to help with affordability.
One such program is a peer mentorship initiative called Circles Muskoka in partnership with the YWCA which assists individuals to transition out of poverty. He said the United Way has contributed $300,000 dollars to the program over the last three years. Another program in partnership with the District is an urgent needs fund program that provides nonrepayable loans to those in poverty who encounter a large, unexpected expense. Another is the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program in partnership with local utility companies to provide grants to low-income residents who have fallen behind on utility bills.
Shelley singled out the energy assistance program to highlight how rising energy costs have become another key affordability issue that does not receive appropriate attention.
“We often think of poverty as housing and food security, I would suggest as a third point to that triangle and that’s around energy poverty. So often families are having to choose again which meal they’re going to skip for their children or for themselves,” Shelley said.
The final program discussed was the administration by the United Way of the Federal Government Reaching Home program which aims to address housing issues and homelessness in remote and rural areas. As highlighted by Shelley in his presentation, poor transportation and large distances in rural areas like Muskoka mean that many people cannot afford to travel to, or cannot reach, certain services they need.
The United Way will be spending $740,000 dollars this year in efforts across Muskoka to assist in affordability issues. This includes just under $100,000 dollars in grants, $390,000 dollars in addressing housing and homelessness issues, and $169,000 dollars to charities and nonprofits located in Muskoka.
Shelley said changes to the United Way model ensure that donations that are made in the community will remain in the community. He added that it is vital that municipalities support affordability programs like the ones administered by the United Way.
“It’s incredibly important to have municipalities supporting this. These are funds that stay right in their community to support those in that community that need it the most,” he said.
“Unfortunately, things are not getting better. But together we can work together and we can make a better tomorrow for our most vulnerable population.”
Related: Healthy food has become unaffordable for many Muskoka residents
Remember the food banks: COVID-19 containment measures hit the most vulnerable the hardest
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Em Arde…ok so now you’ve said it…so what? Make people prove they can support a family before they have one? What happens when life throws a curveball? We are all one step away, one paycheque away, one sad or drastic change in circumstances away from financial difficulty. Our role as a society is not to judge, but to be supportive and empathetic. Helping our neighbours, our community, our children is key to ensuring our future.
It is of course a shame when any child wants for anything, especially food. But why do these kinds of articles never seem to want to talk about one of the underlying issues, namely: Why do so many people choose to have a child when they aren’t sufficiently certain of their ability to properly support a child? Why are strangers solicited to help provide breakfasts at school? Or send kids to camp? Or help fund kids to play organized sports? There was a time when those kinds of things were the responsibility of the parents, who took on that responsibility when they chose to have children. Why do so many people these days choose to have children when they don’t have the means to properly provide for their children? It baffles me, and it baffles me even more that no one ever seems to want to talk about it.
Given all the issues of the past few years, we really do need updated data in order to get a true picture of affordability/food insecurity issues etc. Even though I think we seem to hire far too many consultants, we truly need a repeat of something like the Starr report so that decisions re policy and programs can be better informed.