Food bank visits in Toronto back to recession levels

TORONTO — Food bank visits in Canada’s most populous city are back up to levels seen during the recession, with a spike in the number of seniors accessing their services in the last year, according to a report released Monday.

The Daily Bread Food Bank’s annual report shows that there were nearly one million food bank visits in Toronto between April last year and March this year.

It also says people are relying on food banks longer than before with the average length increasing to 24 months in 2017, up from 12 months in 2010.

Though people 65 and over make up a relatively small proportion of food bank users, they have become the fastest-rising age group of clients. The number of seniors accessing food banks has gone up nearly 27 per cent since last year.

“Large strides have been made in the last decade to improve income supports for children, but there has been little done for a large cohort of older adults, especially single people, who have lost their jobs and are having a difficult time re-entering the labour market,” the report says.

“Many of these individuals were forced to rely on social assistance after they lost work, and are facing ongoing struggles in keeping up with the rising cost of living in Toronto.”

Wanda Morris, vice-president of advocacy for CARP, formerly known as the Canadian Association for Retired Persons, said the rise in food bank use among seniors is “a huge concern.”

One factor may be that seniors aren’t getting all the support they are entitled to, she said, particularly through the Guaranteed Income Supplement program.

Low-income seniors are eligible for the program if they receive Old Age Security, have an annual income below a specific threshold and have lived in Canada at least 10 years. But research shows thousands of seniors who qualify aren’t claiming it, Morris said, noting that many seniors don’t have internet access.