Getting Realistic About Poverty In Windsor-Essex

By Liz Thorne

Wednesday October 17th, 2012

Posted at 5:00pm

With more than 38,000 people living in poverty in Windsor and Essex County, Pathway To Potential has launched a new local campaign to bring awareness to poverty in our community.

The campaign highlights poverty statistics for our region and features a new website where you can find out more about the reality of poverty in our community.

“The statistics speak for themselves,” said Adam Vasey, Director of Pathway To Potential. “One in ten people in Windsor-Essex are living in poverty. This is a reality that some residents are unaware of and our mission is to make poverty everyone’s business. A common misconception is that the only poverty that exists in our community is the poverty we can see, for example with the homeless population. In reality, poverty involves multiple barriers and its effects are wide-ranging. For example, we need to bring awareness to the fact that there are people working full time who are also living in poverty.”

Statistics that Pathway To Potential are making Windsor-Essex aware of include:

one in ten adults accessing Ontario food banks is employed

the maximum income for an individual on Ontario Disability Support Program is $13,765 per year;

LICO (Low Income Cut-off) for an individual is $16,328;

30% of single moms in the Windsor area live in poverty;

the average life expectancy of a homeless person is 39 years; and

52% of workers in Ontario say they are most likely to be living paycheque to paycheque.

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BrokeGirl

This is me. I can’t afford a car, or a bus pass, usually can’t buy much groceries, can’t take a sick day at work. Rarely get to go out, and when I do it’s for one drink. Always saying, “I can’t, I’m too broke.” Yet i make too much money for any sort of support, and make too much for the affordable bus pass program.