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The Affordability of a Nutritious Diet for Households on Welfare in Toronto

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Abstract

Objectives

This study assesses the affordability of a nutritious diet for households in Toronto that are supported by welfare.

Methods

For three hypothetical households, welfare incomes were compared to the monthly costs for food, shelter, and other essential expenditures in Toronto.

Results

If households lived in market rental accommodation, average monthly incomes were insufficient to cover expenses for the single-person household and two-parent family, and barely adequate for the single-parent family considered in this study. However, the single-parent family’s actual income fell below expenses for six months of the year. For households with children, the relative inadequacy of welfare increased as children grew older. Living in rent-geared-to-income housing afforded substantial financial advantage, but the welfare income of single-person households was still insufficient to meet basic needs.

Interpretation

These findings indicate discrepancies between welfare incomes and costs of basic needs, which may explain the vulnerability of welfare recipients to food insecurity.

Résumé

Objectifs

Notre étude porte sur l’abordabilité d’un régime alimentaire nutritif pour les ménages torontois vivant de l’aide sociale.

Méthode

Nous avons comparé les revenus d’aide sociale de trois ménages hypothétiques aux coûts mensuels de l’alimentation, du logement et d’autres biens essentiels à Toronto.

Résultats

Si ces ménages habitaient des logements locatifs non subventionnés, leurs revenus men-suels moyens étaient insuffisants pour couvrir les dépenses du ménage d’une personne et de la famille biparentale et couvraient tout juste les dépenses de la famille monoparentale (toutefois, six mois sur douze, le revenu réel de la famille monoparentale était inférieur à ses dépenses). Pour les ménages avec enfants, l’insuffisance relative de l’aide sociale augmentait avec l’âge des enfants. Le fait de payer un loyer proportionné au revenu procurait un avantage financier important, mais les prestations d’aide sociale du ménage d’une personne étaient encore insuffisantes pour répondre à ses besoins fondamentaux.

Interprétation

Ces résultats témoignent d’un écart entre les revenus de l’aide sociale et les coûts des besoins fondamentaux, ce qui expliquerait la propension des prestataires d’aide sociale à souf-frir d’insécurité alimentaire.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E2, Canada

    Nicholas Vozoris MHSc, Barbara Davis MSc &  Valerie Tarasuk PhD

Authors
  1. Nicholas Vozoris MHSc
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  2. Barbara Davis MSc
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  3. Valerie Tarasuk PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Valerie Tarasuk PhD.

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Vozoris, N., Davis, B. & Tarasuk, V. The Affordability of a Nutritious Diet for Households on Welfare in Toronto. Can J Public Health 93, 36–40 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404415

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404415

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