During a radio interview, I was asked a disarmingly simple question: why should people who are not in need care about those who are?
I replied that we all want to live in a society where everyone has the right to dignity. It was an adequate answer for the time allotted to me, but if I had had a little more time, my answer would have been more complete and necessarily more complex, since several factors must be considered when one deals with poverty. To name a few:
1. Poverty limits access to education – it often leads to a difficult school career, if not downright dropping out. Education is at the heart of personal and professional emancipation. The level of education is the first indicator of future income. By integrating the educational and social success of young people into a plan to fight poverty, we improve access to quality education and break the cycle of poverty.
2. Poverty also limits the economic growth of a society through the low purchasing power of the individuals or communities that experience it.
If everyone contributes to the economy, it will be more robust and sustainable, and will promote full participation by all.
3. Poverty is often associated with health problems. Think of substandard housing where tenants breathe in mold that causes asthma and emergency room visits, or nutritious food that we can no longer afford due to inflation. With regard to an individual’s health, income and level of education are often determining factors: it has been shown many times that people who live in poverty for a long period are over-represented for certain pathologies.
4. People living in poverty face many systemic barriers that lead to exclusion. This can create frustration and despair, and in some cases lead to dramatic solutions that marginalize people and create social tensions. If we want to have a feeling of belonging and safety in all the neighbourhoods, we have to work on this aspect. The end of poverty necessarily leads to a more inclusive and united society, where cohesion is greater.
Poverty is an economic, social, public health and health issue.
Moreover, with regard to the issue of health, this morning we are releasing the second measure of the Financial Anxiety Index of Centraide of Greater Montreal, produced in collaboration with Léger. This confirms an upward trend in the financial anxiety of Quebecers: 86% of them, compared to 85% last November, say they feel financial stress to varying degrees. The index continues an upward trend, rising from an average score of 38.8 in its last release to 39.1 in April.
Unsurprisingly, people with functional limitations, heads of single-parent families, newcomers, low-income people, racialized people and those without a high school diploma, as well as women show higher than average scores. .
Financial anxiety also has an effect on people’s mental health. Symptoms experienced include trouble sleeping due to their financial situation and difficulty concentrating at work or school.
Also according to the index, food remains the main concern of Quebecers and the issue of housing is a growing concern, now ranking second. The effects of the housing crisis are multiple: food insecurity, anxiety, insalubrity with an enormous social and economic cost which accentuates inequalities. It is not for nothing that housing is identified by many as a cause of poverty and exclusion.
So why should we care about people living in poverty? Because a fair society, without poverty or exclusion, must be at the heart of conversations and actions. And while governments, social programs, businesses and community organizations all have an important role to play, every citizen can contribute their time or money. This is a wonderful social project.