© 2015 The Peterborough County-City Health Unit
A new report detailing the food and housing insecurity issues being faced by the community of Peterborough was recently released by Carleton and Trent University academics in association with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Entitled Food Access, Housing Security and Community Connections: A Case Study of Peterborough, Ontario the report concludes that, while the community of Peterborough is successfully addressing food and housing insecurity in many ways, the issues continue to persist. In fact, the numbers are indicating that the problems may even be getting worse.
The report cites research showing that, since 2013, the percentage of food insecure households in the City and County of Peterborough has risen by 1.5%. In addition, insufficient affordable housing and low wages are resulting in low-income renters in Peterborough (average wage of $18/hour) working longer hours than renters in any other Canadian city to cover the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment.
According to Dr. Rosana Pellizzari, Medical Officer of Health and Chair of the Peterborough Food Action Network, the common denominator between food and housing insecurity is insufficient income. The report corroborates this conclusion, recommending that the issue of income security be a major focus for all levels of government moving forward.
For more information, read the full report, which can be accessed on Wilfrid Laurier’s research services website.
Op-ed released in Peterborough This Week Oct. 8, 2015.