Written by: Tvisha Shah & Amelia King
Edited by: Rachel Fagen, Iman Khwaja & Anya Bhopa
Dear CCP readers!
This is our very first blog post, it gives an insight on food insecurity across Canada.
Canada
Homelessness in Canada is at an all time high. Since the pandemic, food bank visits have increased by 20%. Due to the rising cost of living, around 1/4 of Canadians have reported that they have been eating less or skipping meals, to reduce spending.
The State of Homelessness in Canada 2013 Report, found that the annual cost of homelessness to the Canadian economy is $7.05 billion! Homelessness was still high before COVID-19, during 2017-2018, every 1 in 8 Canadian households was facing food insecurity.
York Region
York Region has the highest rate of home ownership in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), with 86% of households owned. However, it also has extremely high housing costs with low rental housing vacancy. Owning half of the households in the GTHA, 14% of York Region is still low-income. There is also a large amount of food insecurity, being around 24 700 York Region households which affects the residents physical and mental health.
Helpful Initiatives
Blue Door
One of the largest emergency housing providers in York Region. Blue Door founded Construct, a social enterprise providing youth looking to secure long-term employment in the construction trades. They are giving paid employment training, experience helping vulnerable individuals find jobs.
Canadian Courage Project & Good Food Impact Tote Fundraiser
CCP and The Good Food Impact (GFI) have started a limited-edition collaborative tote bag campaign. The totes are thick and hold up to 75lbs, have a wide bottom and rectangular shape. 100% of proceeds from every tote purchased funds one care package and three nutritious meals to help a young person facing structural vulnerabilities across Ontario.
Buy the “Take Care of your Neighbours” tote
Thank you for reading our first blog post! We would love your input on future posts, comment what you would like to see next!
- CCP Team
Resources
Blue Door Construction: Blue door. Blue Door Construction | Blue Door. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://constructgta.ca/
CBC/Radio Canada. CBCnews. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6478695
Fact sheet | homelessness in Canada and Ontario. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://www.acto.ca/production/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Factsheet-4-Homelessness-in-Canada-and-Ontario2.pdf
Food (in)security during COVID-19. Food (In)Security During COVID-19 | The Homeless Hub. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/food-insecurity-during-covid-19
Strobel, S., Barcul, I., Dai, J. H., Ma, Z., Jamani, S., & Hossain, R. (2021, January 20). Characterizing people experiencing homelessness and trends in homelessness using population-level emergency department visit data in Ontario, Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2021001/article/00002-eng.htm
Thanks to construct, I feel confident in my future employment opportunities. Blue Door. (2022, May 6). Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://bluedoor.ca/2022/04/thanks-to-construct-i-feel-confident-in-my-future-employment-opportunities/
York Region Report on Hunger 2020. https://fbyr.ca/wp-content/uploads/FBYRYorkRegionReportonHunger2020.pdf.
Youth Without Shelter. Retrieved July 14, 2022, from https://yws.on.ca/