Poverty

Submitted by jsuart on Tue, 2011-09-27 11:39

JUMP AHEAD

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More than one in ten families in Greater Kingston lives in poverty

Based on 2006 census data, 3,305 families (12.3%) lived under the Low Income Cut Off (LICO), which is the most commonly used measurement of poverty. This is slightly higher than the national average of 11.4%. It is important to note that 15.4% of the total Kingston population has income below the LICO. According to LICO, in 2006, there were 14,580 (16.6%) children under the age of 12 living in poverty in Kingston. While the LICO numbers are adjusted every year, data on the incidence of low income is only available every five years.  The numbers above don’t tell the entire story. There are some vulnerable populations with higher incidences of poverty including recent immigrants, aboriginals, female lone parent families, and those with activity limitations.

Source: Federation of Canadian Municipalities Quality of Life Reporting System – Kingston Data

Using a measuring tool called the Low-Income Measurement (LIM), the 2009 poverty rate was 19.2 per cent, down 4.6 per cent from 2001. The rate was 13.7 per cent lower than the provincial average and 10.9 per cent lower than the national average. Overall, greater Kingston had 13,320 families living in poverty in 2009. The number of children under 17 who lived in poverty was 6,040 in 2009. The LIM child poverty rate was 19.9 per cent, down by 13.1 per cent from 2000. It, too, is lower than the provincial and national average. In 2009, the seniors (persons 65 and over) poverty rate in the Kingston CMA was 5.7 per cent, down 13.7 per cent from 2001. The number of seniors 65 and older living in poverty was 1,300 in 2009.

Source: Statistics Canada

Another way to look at poverty is through the Market Basket Measure (MBM). This compares the cost of a basket of standard food, clothing, footwear and shelter items against the income of those living in the lowest 20% income bracket. The market basket is calculated new each measurement year. A family whose income is lower than the cost of the market basket is considered poor. Based on Census data (2005 numbers), the lowest 20% income bracket in Greater Kingston was roughly $14,000 in 2005 and the cost of the market basket was $25,535.

Source: Federation of Canadian Municipalities Quality of Life Reporting System – Kingston Data

The new face of poverty – the working poor

Rent, food and nothing left over

What’s left over after rent and food for some families in Greater Kingston? Not much, according to the Nutritious Food Survey from Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health. The 2010 survey took families in need, calculated their monthly rent and food costs. What’s left over is what can be spent on heat, hydro, transportation, telephone, child care, household and personal care items, clothing, etc. In many cases, those on government assistance don’t have enough. And in some cases, they lose money every month. 

Food bank use is increasing

Since 2007, food bank use has increased nearly 20% in Greater Kingston. The Partners in Mission Food Bank reports the number of food hampers and the people who use them have both increased. Last year, some 6,300 people turned to the food bank to help feed their families – nearly 40% of those receiving assistance were children. 

  

Working poor make up 13% of food bank users

Of those who use the Partners in Mission Food Bank, more than one in ten are working full or part-time. One third of the people heading households that use food banks in Ontario are employed part-time or full-time or were recently employed in the last six months. Another third are unemployed due to disability, retirement, or attending school full-time as a student.

Source: Partners in Mission Food Bank  & Ontario Hunger Report 2009: Living With Hunger, Ontario Association of Food Banks

Gap between rich and poor

A recent study by the Conference Board of Canada found that the gap between rich and poor is growing faster in Canada than the US. In Kingston the story is slightly different. A comparison of Census data from 2000 and 2005 shows an upwards trend in income levels. In 2005, there were more people making higher than $90,000 a year and fewer people who made less than $30,000 a year than in 2000.

Source: Statistics Canada

A Community Plan to Reduce Poverty  

Kingston has been working on a plan to reduce poverty since 2007, starting with the Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty. In 2010, the City of Kingston, the Kingston Community Roundtable on Poverty Reduction and the United Way serving KFL&A began to work on a coordinated strategy. They released an update in July 2011 called Goals & Objectives For Poverty Reduction In Kingston. Based on a series of community engagements, the report developed guiding principles and set a number of goals.

Housing 

  • A safe, stable, accessible and affordable home for everyone.

Skills Development and Employment 

  • An economic plan that creates living-wage employment opportunities. 
  • A community that understands and embraces the benefits to the entire community of providing living wage jobs. 
  • Enhancing skills and employment potential of people to access living wage jobs.

Community Supports for Education 

  • Local education supports that expose students to all types of options and helps them make choices to reach their full potential. 
  • All children, families and neighbourhoods have access to the support and services they need to support their education. 
  • An awareness that equitable, inclusive education reduces poverty.

Social Services and Community Supports 

  • Programs and services are coordinated and meet the unique and changing needs of individuals and families. 
  • A social assistance system that provides all the eligible income security, programs and services to people in need. 
  • An integrated and compassionate community that recognizes and accepts responsibility to individuals and the community.

Health 

  • The community at large understands that health is impacted by poverty, employment, housing, education, food security, income, social and physical environment and other determinants of health. 
  • A safe, reliable, local, healthy, and sustainable food supply for all Kingston residents.
  • All citizens have equal opportunities for their best health potential.

The next steps in the development of the poverty reduction strategic plan will be to conduct more community consultation, develop recommendations, establish an accountability framework and then determine how the project will be evaluated.