Item - 2014.CD27.9

Numerous reports have identified poverty and social exclusion as key issues that require community and governmental attention. The Toronto Community Foundation's 2013 Vital Signs reports that "more than 1 million Torontonians live in low-income neighbourhoods (20% or more below average incomes) and the polarization of wealth and poverty is deepening." Another indicator is "the growing problem of food insecurity— running out of food, limited access to culturally appropriate foods, compromising quality or quantity or even going days without meals. In housing, a third poverty indicator, the report noted, "72,696 eligible Toronto households were waiting for affordable housing at the end of 2012; that’s 3,354 more than in 2011, and a 44% increase since 2004." The number is even greater at the end of 2013.

United Way Toronto's 2013 report "It's More than Poverty: Employment Precarity and Household Wellbeing" highlights the impacts on social wellbeing, family life, and overall prosperity of low wage, unstable, and precarious work. UWT’s work has also highlighted the growing concentration of poverty in inner suburban neighbourhoods. "Toward a Poverty Elimination Strategy for the City of Toronto," a new report from Social Planning Toronto and the Alliance for a Poverty Free Toronto begins to outline a policy framework to tackle poverty at the city level here in Toronto. As a city, we should take up that work.