File photo
The Kenora District Services Board is calling for immediate action to address surging poverty rates in the region.
Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall says the COVID-19 outbreak has made the crisis worse.
“Just overall, we are really bracing for a need of families needing more income support, especially around food security and being able to afford their current housing situation. Something that is quite concerning based on what the trends and the stats that we are already seeing,” says Wall.
He notes when we started the pandemic, our district ranked second highest in all of Ontario, in children living in poverty.
Wall says at the end of 2019, reports indicated more than 6,100 kids, or one in three children in the district were living in poverty.
He stresses those numbers are having a concerning and direct impact on local families.
