Poverty

Poverty presents numerous challenges and difficulties. Individuals who struggle with poverty often cannot meet their basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing. But poverty is not just about these essentials. According to Encyclopedia Britannica (2024), “Poverty is the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. It is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs” (para. 1).

Other forms of poverty that may exacerbate material poverty are social and spiritual poverty, which lead to isolation and deep loneliness. According to Gweshengwe and Hassan (2020), there is a multidimensionality and complexity to poverty. Poverty is a complicated issue involving financial, economic, social, political, environmental, and seasonal dimensions. Living conditions are impacted through financial insecurity, economic inequality, material poverty, social poverty, and vulnerability. While Canada is a wealthy nation and has an abundance of natural resources, wealth, and a stable political and social climate, there are still pockets of society that experience poverty and lack the required resources to meet a reasonable standard of living. The Canadian Poverty Institute (n.d.) stated the following:

• • In 2021, a total of 5,274,505 Canadians were living either in or at risk of poverty, accounting for 14.3% of the total population.
  • 13% of children living in lone-parent families were in poverty compared to just 4% of children living in two-parent families.
  • In 2021, 14% of immigrants who had arrived within the previous 10 years were living in poverty, compared to just 6% among persons born in Canada. Meanwhile, non-permanent residents had the highest poverty rate, with roughly one-third (34%) living below the poverty line.
  • Racialized communities face high levels of poverty. In 2021, the poverty rate for racialized persons was 11%—almost double the rate of non-racialized persons (6%).
  • Close to 15% of people with disabilities are living in poverty, 59% of whom are women.
  • Indigenous peoples in Canada continue to experience elevated levels of poverty. In 2021, 9% of persons of Indigenous identity were reported to be living in poverty compared to 7% of non-Indigenous persons.

These facts demonstrate certain social indicators which make some people more vulnerable to poverty, along with systemic barriers, such as the history of the Indian Act. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (n.d.), “People with mental illness often live in chronic poverty. Conversely, poverty can be a significant risk factor for poor physical and mental health.” Poverty can also be generational: growing up with a lack of necessities often makes it more challenging to get ahead.

Some systemic barriers that perpetuate poverty are wage gaps, lack of benefits and job security, inadequate housing, no access to credit, and being a member of a marginalized group, which is composed of Indigenous people; immigrants; refugees; individuals who identify as members of ethno-cultural, Black, and other racialized communities; 2SLGBTQ people; persons with disabilities; people experiencing homelessness; children and youth in care; people living in institutions; and people living in remote areas (Government of Canada, 2022, chapter 1).

This report also indicated the impact COVID-19 has had on poverty rates, indicating “inadequacies in existing benefits and sick leave for many low-income workers, challenges in the caring economy, inadequacies in long-term care homes, and challenges in accessing affordable housing.” With the increasing cost of living, these gaps are becoming increasingly more challenging for people across the country. When working with clients who are struggling financially, it is important to understand the systemic barriers that create wealth inequalities and how extremely challenging it is to move out of poverty or low-income living.

This chapter touched on many extremely complex and interconnected dynamics that impact many clients. Understanding the role of history, immigration trends, economic trends, housing, social supports, systemic barriers, and the struggles people face will benefit you greatly as a support worker. A challenge to yourself can be to begin to notice how the media portrays these complex social issues and what government plans are to address important issues such as mental health, housing, opioid crisis, labour and employment, immigration, and food security. Become informed on systemic barriers and your role as a CSW to advocate for clients facing these barriers.