Poverty and homelessness are our neighbours

Last July, the Sherbrooke Tribune reported that 12 families were left homeless during the July 1 moving day. Four families (one of whom had five young children) were able to find housing quickly. Eight families remained homeless. Shelter was provided for these by the Tenants Association of Sherbrooke (l’association des locataires de Sherbrooke), and every effort is being made to find suitable and affordable housing. Normand Couture, Coordinator of the Association, says that although the number of people who lose their homes on moving day is dramatic, they help families year-round who are unable to find or sustain adequate housing.

Surprisingly, Sherbrooke does not suffer a housing shortage. In fact, an estimated 6.4% of current rentals are unoccupied. So what is the problem? According to Couture, “Finding a rental is not the problem. Being able to afford one is. Low income families in the Sherbrooke region have to pay upwards of 60% of their income for rent”. Sherbrooke is considered to be one of the more affordable cities in Quebec, and yet even middle-class families are suffering the difficulties of this inequality. Couture informs us that “in Sherbrooke, 6125 middle class households spend more than 50% 0f their income on rent, while 2000 spend more than 80%”.

A 2015 Census by Statistics Canada reported that 4.8 million Canadians are living in poverty, and a quarter of those are children. Our elderly are also suffering. According to Vice President of the Union of Retirees Louise Hinton, pensions have gotten so low, that many receive less than $20 000 annually. “The situation is particularly dire for retired women who receive 65% less revenue on average than retired men,” explains Hinton.

Poverty and homelessness are not issues that are far removed from us. Most of us can relate to having to live from paycheck to paycheck, to suffering tremendous anxiety at the thought of unplanned expenses, to paying our bills in alternating sequences so as to cover expenses and still feed ourselves. We are one unexpected change (decreased hours, loss of a job, forced retirement, illness etc.) away from living comfortably. Perhaps it is time that we pay closer attention and lend our voices to the problem. “We have been crying for help for years now, it’s time that we make our voices heard, so that the government responds to our needs,” says Normand Couture.