This week on the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks to Anita Stellinga about new approaches for tackling rising poverty in families.
ANITA STELLINGA
Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Policy
United Way Greater Toronto
Advocate for poverty, mental health and social justice
Mother of 2
Grandmother
“Income that’s considered to be at the poverty line is about $57,000 for a family of four. And so with that, you can imagine, with rent costs and rising food costs, that after rent is paid, there really isn’t much for people, and people are making tough choices every single day, every hour, to survive.
Behind those numbers is a person, is an individual, a family, that is reflected in those numbers and the struggles that they’re having, sometimes very invisible, not seen to people, because you don’t know what is happening behind closed doors and how people are surviving.
Our biggest focus is on ensuring that people have access to services where they need them, when they need them, because we really believe that the sooner we can get people supported, the sooner we can get services to people, the better it is going to be in the long run, and that it’s also equally important that people have access to services close to home, where they need them, where they live, because that is going to make lives much better.”