Logo: Huron Perth Public Health
The findings of a survey regarding food insecurity has been presented to Huron County Council.
The results, presented by Candace Cunningham, a registered dietitian with Huron-Perth Public Health, and Kristin Crane, the director of Social Research & Planning, were from a survey completed in November 2022 and included 740 responses.
Over the past 12 months, 27% of families in the region have said that they don’t always have enough food, and 9% said they often found themselves in a situation where they didn’t have enough.
Of the 740 surveys, more than 450 were completed by people who had full-time employment.
The results also showed that the families who were struggling with food security would rather miss a payment on a monthly bill, or rely on money from family before relying on a food bank.
It also found that respondents would rather cut their food budget to be able to afford other expenses, such as rises in the cost of housing or utilities.
As a part of the presentation to the County Council, one of the recommendations to come forward was to advocate for a living wage across all employers, which based on research should be around $20.70 per hour, and for the County itself to become a Certified Living Wage Employer.
Another suggestion that came forward was to support a Basic Income, which is an unconditional cash transfer that would meet basic needs, and allow those who require it to be able to live with dignity and participate in society.
The suggestion came from a pilot test that happened for one year in Brantford, Hamilton, and Brant County.
When those areas did the pilot project, they found that not only did it help those in need be able to have food security, but also improved physical and mental health, and reduce tobacco and alcohol use.