Number of older women struggling to make ends meet on the rise in London, agencies say
There are few services geared specifically to older women, but they're increasing in number
Gloria Starr has travelled the world.
She made a name and career for herself dolling out leadership, etiquette and image advice for business people, governments, diplomats and even royalty around the world, from Qatar and Saudi Arabia to Cairo, Captown and Shanghai.
Then, the pandemic hit. With few savings, she moved back to London when the Canadian government urged all those living abroad to return to the country, and her income dried up. She had two strokes, lost the townhouse she was living in, and now lives in Holly's House, a transitional shelter run by My Sister's Place.
The London, Ont. centre helps women living with housing instability and other issues, from trauma and gender-based violence to physical health challenges.
"I've never been taken care of. I take care of people," the 74-year-old businesswoman said. "I was in a situation where I could not financially support myself as I usually had, and they have been kind and straightforward and they even gave me meals when I didn't have any."
A group of women recently raised enough money to open Karen's Place, a new transitional home in the city for women over 50 who are facing homelessness. It's a demographic of people who are increasingly needing help, but at a time when social services are stretched and not many programs are geared specifically for them.
The increased need is being seen everywhere, from London's food bank to neighbourhood centres that help people living with little income and social supports.
More women seeking services
"People who were just making it prior to the pandemic do not have that ability any more. They don't have enough money for food," said Jennifer Martino, the executive director of the Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre, which supports residents experiencing poverty.
"Many of our clients who were on Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program have moved into Old Age Security. A combination of inflation and insufficient increases to income support mean that we're giving more often, to more people. We're seeing more people in general, more older people, and more women."
In 2021, Crouch had 1,265 people access its basic needs services, which includes a food cupboard, a warm meal, and hygiene products. In 2022, that went up by 45 per cent, to 1,836 people. The number of women using the basic needs services went up 234 per cent in that time, from 294 women in 2021 to 983 women in 2022, according to data.
In 2021, Crouch served 288 adults over 50. In 2022, that number jumped to 675 people over 50, Martino said.
"We know that women work in lower-paying jobs, jobs without pensions," she said, adding that many women raised families and didn't build up savings for retirement.
Those living on a single income, particularly in older age, are the worst off, because they can't combine pensions or social security cheques with a partner, said Rose Whalen, the head of outreach programs at My Sister's Place and Holly's House.
"We do find there's a lot of single women, whether they're widowed or divorced or they have chosen to be single for many, many years and trying to live on a single budget makes it even tougher," Whalen said. "They don't get much from the Canada Pension Plan or Old Age Security. It's not a lot of money, and nowadays with the cost of housing and the cost of food, it's especially difficult."
At first, it was difficult to rely on others for help and to trust others besides herself, Starr said. After her strokes, she walks with a cane, and has an eye-patch as her vision heals. During her working life, she preferred to spend as she went, so she didn't squirrel anything away for retirement.
"It never occurred to me that I would need help," she said. "My dad put me out on the street at age 15 and I was independent after that. I always worked two, three jobs, even when I went to Fanshawe College. I never expected I wouldn't be able to work and I never expected the pandemic, which meant no work.
Starr said she is itching to get back to work.
The London Food Bank is seeing more people using its services across all demographics, said co-director Jane Roy.
About eight to 10 per cent of the 23,000 individuals the food bank has seen in the last two years have been over the age of 60, she said. In 2022, that meant 2,650 seniors, both men and women.
"There's more of everybody," Roy said. "Anecdotally, our volunteers tell us they're seeing more seniors and lots of new folks, lots of people we haven't seen before, and lots of people who have jobs but need our help."
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