The report examines several statistics to see how poverty reduction efforts are being delivered through different levels of government, including the cost of housing, the cost of daily necessities and the quality of social security.
There is no official definition of living in poverty in Canada, but it is determined by factors such as the amount of income spent on necessities and access to social security systems such as housing.
Mattern said when forced to choose between rent and food, people often choose rent, which he said is one of the reasons why B.C.'s food insecurity rate is 21 per cent.
More than 46% of respondents said they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs, up from 39% in 2023.
The biggest increase from last year is in the number of people struggling to access healthcare, rising from 14% in 2023 to 27% this year.
Mattern said another worrying statistic is the number of single adults living in poverty in British Columbia.
“I think it's 25 percent. That's a very high percentage and it needs to be addressed. I mean, everything is painting a picture of people struggling with day-to-day costs.”
The report makes numerous recommendations to governments at all levels, including providing more affordable housing, supporting renters and expanding access to social welfare programs such as disability benefits.
But in the meantime, Mattern said more Canadians will continue to have to rely on food banks.
“Last year saw the highest increase on record, up 32% from the previous year, and the report predicts a 50% increase in 2021. At the moment, this indicates demand is continuing to trend upwards.”
Abby Sawchuk, development director at Nanaimo's Loaves and Fish Community Food Bank, said the number of people using the bank's services has increased steadily by 25 to 30 per cent year-on-year.
Sawchuk said looking at numbers from January to April this year, the trend has continued.
“Compared to last year, monthly visits by customers visiting our stores have increased by 30% and the number of unique visitors visiting our stores has increased by 21%.”
From 2022 to 2021, monthly client visits increased by 27% and unique visitors increased by 44%.
Sawchuk said the clients they see span all age groups and demographics, showing that no one is immune to the rising cost of living.
“We know we've had to significantly increase the amount of food we have. We're currently feeding 44 communities across Vancouver Island and working with 33 food recovery grocery store partners to help meet demand.”
She said Loaves & Fish had received building permission for its proposed new warehouse on East Wellington Street but still needed federal funding to break ground, with the provisional cost estimated at about $11.5 million.
— Jon De Roo/97.3 FM With files from The Eagle
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