Food banks in Huron-Bruce continue to see high demand as more residents struggle with the cost of living. According to 2024 numbers from the Feed Ontario network, 3,216 people in the riding used a food bank a total of 18,487 times last year.
According to stats from Feed Ontario, children make up a significant portion of visitors. In Huron-Bruce, 36 percent of people who used a food bank last year were under the age of 18. Across Ontario, children represent 29 percent of food bank clients, even though they make up only 19 percent of the population.
In Huron, 3,262 people receive Ontario Works and 12,200 people are on the Ontario Disability Support Program. About 65 percent of local food bank clients depend on one of these programs.
Housing costs also make life difficult for many residents. In Huron Perth, 17 percent of people live in housing they cannot afford, and 519 households are on the waitlist for social housing. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in South Huron is $982 per month. Rent is considered affordable when it takes up less than 30 percent of a person’s income, but in many cases it consumes far more. For someone on Ontario Works, rent for a one-bedroom apartment would equal 134 percent of their monthly income. For those on ODSP, it would take up 72 percent, and even full-time minimum wage workers would see 35 percent of their income go to rent.
In Huron Perth, 10 percent of residents live in low-income households, and 18 percent face food insecurity. Province-wide, 10 percent of Ontarians are considered low-income, while 24 percent of households are food insecure.