Programs helping low-income families are experiencing a spike in services
Posted Aug 28, 2022 08:30:00 PM.
Programs providing support to citizens in need are asking for help as they experience a spike in their services.
Marilyn Matheson, executive director for ED Caldwell Family Centre, told The Sam Laprade Show on Aug. 22 that compared to July 2021, there has been a 55 per cent increase in people accessing food at ED Caldwell Family Centre.
“It's just grown incredibly, we're trying to do our best to keep up, but we need help,” Matheson said.
Although the centre receives funding from the municipal government, Matheson explained that when inflation and the number of people needing their services are considered, the funding has decreased over the years.
She added that less than 28 per cent of their budget comes from the municipal government, and they are calling on the citizens of Ottawa to help the community.
“But of course, everybody in the city is in the same situation, and the number of people in need is going up,” she said.
In addition to providing food, the centre also does wraparound services, which help reduce the effects of poverty. Since January, Matheson said they've kept five people in their homes through these services.
“When you think that according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, it costs taxpayers about $35,500 a year for one homeless person… we've saved the taxpayers over $177,000, just since January, with just that one process,” she said.
A clothing depot with deeply discounted prices and a clothing assistance program that provides free clothing to families referred to the centre by social services is also available.
“A lot of these families, of course, are new to Canada, and they need climate-appropriate clothing,” she said.
Matheson added that last weekend they handed out over 200 backpacks full of school supplies and one pair of shoes per child. However, she said they still need more shoes, which can be new or used ones in good shape.
The ED Caldwell Family Centre isn't the only program that's noticed an increased need for its services.
Cindy Smith, executive director of The Caring and Sharing Exchange, which helps provide low-income families with back-to-school supplies for children up to grade eight, said they'd seen almost 200 more registrations this year while experiencing a 12 per cent decrease in monetary donations.
The pandemic, job instability and the increased cost of living have all likely contributed to the high need and reduced donations, with Smith noting this is the most significant increase in registrants the program has seen since the influx of Syrian refugees in 2015.
So far, the program has helped about 2,700 children, but there are still 500 on the list.
“As soon as we get the donations, we can purchase this stuff and put those backpacks together,” Smith said.
The cost of school supplies has also risen, with geometry sets almost doubling in price from $3.99 to, in some cases, $6.99.
“We work with our retail partners and buy in bulk. So we can be a bit more efficient than the regular person, but we've definitely seen an increase,” she said.
Smith added that they could purchase three backpacks for the price of one and the best way to support the program is through a monetary donation on their website.
“Imagine going back to school and not having everything that everybody else has,” Smith said, adding that many teachers use their own money to purchase school supplies to help kids.
“You want them to start school on an equal footing with the rest of their class. We want them to have self-esteem and have everything that they need in order to learn and be successful.”
Listen to the full interview with Marilyn Matheson below:
