It is no surprise to anyone at this point that issues surrounding poverty and homelessness have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
It has been a regular point of discussion at recent city council meetings in Thunder Bay, councillors all recognizing the difficulties so many in the community face everyday.
At the upcoming meeting on Monday, a presentation will be made revealing the poverty reduction strategy annual report.
Bonnie Krysowaty is the Researcher Program Coordinator at the Lakehead Social Planning Council, and says even as we ease out of the pandemic, poverty in Thunder Bay is still on the rise.
“One of the concerning things was the amount of homeowners living in poverty, it’s gone from about 4 per year to about 150 per year, that’s concerning,” explains Krysowaty. “We don’t want to see anyone living in property, but people that are able to get credit to buy homes and have mortgages, we certainly don’t want to see them falling into poverty for sure. It’s about preventing poverty as well as reducing and eliminating it.”
Another one of the focuses will be Indigenous poverty in the city. Krysowaty says around 50 per cent of people living in Thunder Bay that are in poverty identify as Indigenous. She concludes by saying this community does not make up close to half the population and that we need to address the dichotomy.
The presentation will explain some of the current data and trends Thunder Bay is seeing in terms of poverty, and will provide some recommendations as well.
