Study reveals over 45,000 Capital Region residents live in poverty

Over 15 per cent of capital region citizens--a total of 45,235 people--are living in poverty according to statistics released as part of research being conducted by members of the Capital Urban Poverty Project. One out of every four young people in the region is living in poverty--a higher percentage than the national average--and, because of the high cost of living in the region, its growing number of low income residents face a tougher financial squeeze than other low income Canadians. The data was released and discussed last night at a UVic-sponsored forum on urban poverty.

The analysis and discussion about poverty in the region revealed that 25.1 per cent of young people aged 15 to 24 in the area live in poverty, compared to the national average of 24 per cent. Just over 18 per cent of capital region children, those aged 14 and under, live in poverty. "Poverty, especially for children, can lead to poor health because it is difficult for low income families to pay for the shelter, food, and other necessities needed for good health," says Dr. Marge Reitsma-Street (human and social development), a participant in the poverty project.

At the other end of the age spectrum, seniors in the area fare better than their contemporaries elsewhere in Canada and B.C. In the capital region, 11.4 per cent of seniors live in poverty compared to the national average of 19.3 per cent and the provincial average of 18.1 per cent. The number of seniors living in poverty in the area has dropped 11 per cent between 1991 and 1996, while the number of children living in poverty has increased 25 per cent in the same time. The number of poor also rose among citizens aged 15 to 34 (up 24 per cent) and those aged 35 to 64 (up 36 per cent). Overall, the number of low income people in the capital region increased 19.1 per cent between 1991 and 1996.

Those hoping to break out of the cycle of poverty face fewer opportunities in the job market. One in five Canadian jobs are now part-time compared to one in 10 in the mid-1970s. Of those living in low income households, only 22.5 per cent had full time work in 1995, although 90 per cent had some sort of paid employment.

Because Statistics Canada doesn't take the capital region's high cost of living into account when it establishes its criteria for low-income families, Reitsma-Street says that capital region residents living below the poverty line have even less money to spend once they pay for housing. "The cut-offs are defined not only by the number of persons in the family unit but by the population size of their community. Therefore, low income cut-offs for the Capital region are the same as for the similarly-sized areas of Saskatoon, Regina, Windsor, and Halifax. With housing in these areas much less expensive than in the Victoria area, those considered below the low income cut-off in the capital region are in worse economic shape than their counterparts in other areas."

In 1997, the average monthly rent for a two bedroom apartment in Victoria was $724. The same accommodation in Saskatoon was $500, in Regina, $512, in Windsor, $680 and in Halifax, $616. In the capital region, 23.5 per cent of renters spend more than 50 per cent of their gross income on rent.

For further information on the Capital Urban Poverty Project and copies of the fact sheets distributed at the forum call the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria at 250-383-6166.

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