The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is coming up on Monday, October 17th.
The theme for the day is “Dignity for All in Practice”, attempting to highlight long standing gender, racial and economic inequalities in the country’s labour and housing markets.
Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force Planning Network Coordinator Jill Umbach says 1-in-5 households in Grey Bruce are food insecure, with 65% of the households experiencing food insecurity currently being in the workforce.
She says things could get worse very shortly though, saying “Unfortunately, we are going into a recession. So things are deepening a bit. We recognize what people are experiencing, with challenges related to housing, and challenges with being able to meet all the rising costs that we’re seeing.”
Solutions identified by the task force boil down to ensuring residents have access to the income needed to meet their basic needs, which Umbach says can be accomplished with a universal basic income, something they continues to push for with government partners and stakeholders.
Umbach says over 50 social and service organizations are part of the task force and are collectively advocating for positive change, greater equity and dignity for those with low resources.
More information on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be found by visiting https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-for-eradicating-poverty
