A new survey shows that Quebecers continue to grapple with financial anxiety.
According to the most recent measure of financial anxiety by Centraide of Greater Montreal, 48 per cent of people have high levels of financial anxiety.
Over half of the respondents, 56 per cent, are worried about food expenses, and 48 per cent of people also worry about housing costs — with one tenant in four fearing they could be evicted from their home.
People who are unemployed, those with functional impairments, racialized people and single parents are among those who feel the most stressed.
“For the two questions that are the most talked about is housing and then the ripple effect of housing is food security,” said Claude Pinard, Centraide of Greater Montreal president and executive director. “It used to be a time that food banks were part of the alternatives, like the end-of-the-month solutions. It’s now part of strategies for families to be able to feed themselves.”
Food is the main concern for Quebecers and at the West Island mission, the clientele has exploded in recent years.
The number of families it serves has jumped from 200 to 400 since before the COVID-19 pandemic, equating to about 1,000 individuals.
“When they do come in through our doors, we see that they’re extremely stressed, often about finances because they have to make the choice whether they’re going to pay their rent on time, so that they don’t get evicted, or put food on the table and pay their hydro bill,” said Sandra Watson, reintegration specialist at the mission.
Being able to afford housing is the other big concern, and for housing advocates, it’s even more worrisome as July 1 approaches.
“We’re pretty worried about the situation and worried that nothing is really being done before to have structures and measures that could prevent people from losing their apartment, controlling better the rent,” said Catherine Lussier, a co-ordinator with the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU).