As the cost of living soars in N.L., seniors' advocacy groups are sounding the alarm
'It's come down to the basics now. People need food,' says Seniors N.L. director
The increasing cost of living in Newfoundland and Labrador is especially hurting seniors living on a fixed income, according to advocacy groups that support the province's aging population.
Gas prices keep reaching new record highs, home heating oil is also on the rise and grocery bills are getting more expensive.
Groups like Seniors N.L. and Connections for Seniors seniors are finding it increasingly difficult to afford their basic needs.
"People are looking for the basic needs in that they need food. A couple of years ago we weren't hearing from people who needed emergency food, we were more hearing from people looking for housing," Elizabeth Siegel, Seniors N.L.'s director of information and referral services, told CBC News on Friday.
"It's come down to the basics now. People need food."
Mohamed Abdallah, executive director of Connections for Seniors, says his organization is seeing the same thing.
As the prices of daily needs fluctuate, he said, seniors are choosing among rent, groceries, medication and transportation.
"We see them make decisions with their housing stability, sometimes making decisions that can compromise their health and sometimes they make decisions that can compromise one of those main factors of their essentials in order to survive," he said.
"We are seeing a lot of seniors that have to make those tough decisions and compromise their well-being."
Abdallah said the situation is having an impact on both mental and physical health and since 2020 the demand for services has doubled, especially in the food security program — and is still increasing.
Siegel said change needs to come from every level of government, particularly in the form of government funding at the federal and provincial levels.
"Housing has been an issue for many, many years, but definitely with COVID, with the recent inflation, things have picked up," she said.
"It affects us all. We're all going to be seniors some day."
Food banks continuing to see increased demand
It's not only seniors who are feeling the pinch.
Josh Smee, CEO of Food First N.L. — a non-profit organization that works to support food security — said the group's community food helpline continues to see increasing demand.
The helpline started as a way to point those in need to their nearest community food program, but over the last 18 months, Smee said, it has acted as a direct food provider as a last resort.
"This January has been the busiest month we've had since the service began by quite a margin," said Smee.
"We've seen a pretty sharp uptick in recent months. To give people a sense right now, in January we had just over 500 folks supported and right now there are 200 people waiting in the queue.... It's a very intense level of demand that we're seeing right now."
Smee said there are a few factors driving the demand. Every year the cold weather plays a role in people choosing between their heating bills or food, he said, and a sharp increase in food prices right now is exacerbating the struggle.
On top of that was the recent reintroduction of COVID-19 public health measures that affected the food service industry, Smee said, putting a lot of people out of work while restaurants and bars faced closures and reduced capacities.
"It's hard to put numbers to this. These are all educated guesses, really. There's no data yet, but that would seem to be some of the driving factors behind it," he said.
The Helping Hand food bank in Bay Roberts has been getting 10 to 15 per cent more traffic since late last fall from both new and existing clients, says manager Darlene Kearley.
The Helping Hand's Christmas food drive usually provides enough supplies to last until spring, but Kearley said they're already running out.
"That's not a good sign for what's to come," she said.
Kearley said food bank traffic has been on the rise since the beginning of pandemic, but lately its gotten even worse. She blames the increased cost of living.
"The struggle is real and people are really, really feeling all these increases that's going on in the country these days."
With files from The St. John's Morning Show and Darrell Roberts