The rising cost of living and the scarcity of housing are forcing families to make harrowing choices that have an impact on the development of their children, reports the Observatoire des tout-petits. A high proportion of Quebec parents say they limit their activities with their children and even have to reduce their expenses for food and clothing to be able to pay their rent.
Nearly 8 out of 10 parents (79%) say that rising costs linked to inflation have been a stressful element for them in the past year, according to a survey commissioned by the Observatoire des tout-petits.
And 4 out of 10 families (36%) fear not being able to make ends meet and pay their bills. This proportion climbs to 57% among tenant families, reveals the survey conducted by the firm Léger.
Renting parents are the hardest hit by the rising cost of living. Three out of five tenant families say they have had to change their lifestyle because of the rising cost of living. In single-parent households, this proportion rises to 75%.
These stressors affect parents’ ability to supervise their children’s development, explains Félix-David Soucis, president of the Order of Psychoeducators and Psychoeducators of Quebec.
“If the parent is not able to have fun with his child, he will not be able to create a bond, and it is this bond that promotes good development. Stress, and financial stress, that’s what it gives, ”he summarizes.
The unavailability of the parents also has serious effects on the behavior of the child, reports the psychoeducator. On the emotional level, learning good social practices is all the more complex.
“The pandemic has weakened families”
Today, three-quarters of renting parents consider that finding a home at a reasonable price entails more obstacles than before the pandemic, according to the Observatory survey.
Beyond the difficulty of finding affordable housing, the issue of space is another obstacle that families have to deal with when it comes time to find suitable housing. Thus, more than 40% of parents say that access to a home of sufficient size has become an even more significant problem since COVID-19. Lack of parts is the most commonly cited problem.
A criticism that is not a simple whim, especially for a child, says Mr. Soucis. “Housing must be seen as a tool for development. When one does not have access to enough space, it can cause impulsiveness. Having an environment to calm down, even for the parent, is very important. »
Lack of community housing
The executive director of the Montreal organization Bâtir son quartier is also sounding the alarm: her organization can no longer meet the demands of families looking for community housing. “We currently have a waiting list of 11,000 names, it’s huge! she says at the end of the line. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg,” she adds. Not everyone comes to register on a list. Our needs are much greater. »
Due to a lack of funding, housing construction and renovation projects are becoming increasingly rare, she says. For example, she mentions the AccèsLogis program which, according to her, “works with the 2009 budgets”.
She is not alone in noticing a lack of support from the government.
Dimitri Roussopoulos, president of the Saint-Urbain Community, a project to transform the Hôtel-Dieu into community housing, denounces forgotten promises. With architectural plans in hand and sources of funding already established, he is surprised not to have received the administrative green light.
“Before the last elections, all the political parties, including the CAQ, had agreed to work with us to carry out this project if they were elected. But since then, total silence…”
He hopes to relaunch the idea as soon as the next provincial elections are held and will organize a public meeting for this purpose in September. “Faced with the urgency of the situation, it is difficult to understand this inflexible government wall that does not respond to needs in a constructive and effective way. »