A family of four on Ontario Works (two parents, 8-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy) would need to use 89% of their total income for food and rent alone.
That would leave them $12.68 per person per week for all their other basic needs including the cost of telephone, transportation, clothing and personal care items. Compare this with a middle-income family of four that would only need to spend 31% of their income for food and rent combined.
Although employment is often assumed to be the solution to household poverty, having a job does not necessarily mean that rent, food needs and other basics can be met.
A family of four with one person working full time at the current minimum wage of $10.25 per hour would need to spend 68% of their total family income for food and apartment rent alone.
In these situations money originally set aside for food is often considered “flexible” and can easily end up being spent on important basics such as phone bills, bus fares, winter boots, medicines, and other necessities. Full details of the surveys:
