Question: What is the face of poverty?
The Answers:
- According to Statistics Canada, the poverty line for a single person living in Regina in 2018 was approximately $22,500 a year. The new program, called Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS), began accepting applications from new clients on July 15, 2019. In 2023 a person on SIS living alone gets $975 X 12 or $11,700 a year, about half that amount. For people in rural areas, the amounts given are even less, even though rural areas are generally no cheaper to live in overall. https://uregina.ca/~gingrich/skp2018r.pdf.
- In 2023 working-age single adults represent half of the 1.8 million Canadians living in deep poverty in Canada and have an average annual income of $11,700. These adults account for 38 per cent of all food-insecure households; 45 per cent of food bank users, and for 89 per cent of shelter users. https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/432492/Canadian-group-advocates-for-tax-credits-to-help-struggling-singles.
- Poverty is associated with a host of health risks, including elevated rates of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, infant mortality, mental illness, undernutrition, lead poisoning, asthma, and dental problems.
- Regina point-in-time (PiT) count provides a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness on a specific day (but cannot enumerate the full extent of hidden homelessness), identified: 286 in 2018, and 488 in September 2021. https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/report-regina-sees-increase-in-homelessness
- PiT Counts are the most effective tool in taking a ‘snapshot’ of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a specific day. However, they cannot accurately enumerate the full extent of hidden homelessness in a community. PiT counts typically only identify those who are visibly homeless or 20% of the homeless population, while an estimated 80% are hidden homeless. https://www.homelesshub.ca/blog/understanding-hidden-homelessness
- In 2018 the poverty rate for children and adults living in couple families was eight per cent. But 48 per cent of children living in female lone-parent families were poor.
From Poverty in Saskatchewan: http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/skp2018r.pdf -
Addressing housing affordability is the most cost-effective way of lifting people out of poverty, for reducing childhood poverty and increasing economic mobility. https://www.habitat.org/costofhome/housing-affordability-and-families
- The costs of poverty go beyond the dollars and cents spent on maintaining Saskatchewan’s social safety net – the lost opportunity costs and the consequences of growing inequality among our province’s residents impact all of us. Being poor prevents the disadvantaged from achieving their potential.
- Poverty is not just about money, it’s about being excluded from community life. Exclusion and isolation only further exacerbate poverty’s harmful effects.
Let’s Do Something About Poverty PDF. - Low income people need more social assistance- especially the homeless who are more likely to be held in detention once they are arrested and charged by the police.
Poverty and Criminal Justice System Go hand in hand: https://johnhoward.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/counter-point-1-poverty-and-crime-is-there-a-connection.pdf - The cost of poverty is very expensive. The Saskatchewan Health Quality Council latest estimates for Saskatchewan indicate that the health-related costs of poverty alone are in excess of $420 million. The total cost from all sources is nearly $3.8 billion or more than 4% of provincial GDP. https://www.saskhealthquality.ca/blog/the-costs-of-poverty-in-saskatchewan-and-how-we-can-address-them/.