More P.E.I. seniors are living in poverty, and the demand for services is high

A rising number of seniors in Prince Edward Island are feeling the pinch of poverty, and demand for both provincial and community services is as high as it's ever been. 

The latest report from Campaign 2000, which tracks child and family poverty across the country, suggests at least 6,000 seniors in P.E.I. are living below the poverty line. 

The most recent data available is from 2021, before two years of steep increases in the cost of living. Last year, the province had the highest year-over-year food inflation in the country at over 7 per cent.  

Mike MacDonald, CEO of the Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown, said about 300 seniors a month are now using the service.

He said that proportion, as much as 10 per cent of the food bank's client base, is the highest he's seen in the past couple of years. 

"The large group of them are certainly single people and really do have a tough time with fixed income[s] and trying to support themselves and get the necessities to get by," MacDonald said.

"The biggest thing we hear is there's just not enough money to go around and everything is so expensive — the price of groceries, the price of gas, the price of renting an apartment."

Working past retirement

Although demand is up among all demographics, the increase of seniors living in poverty was significant.    

According to Campaign 2000, the number of seniors living in poverty on the Island was up 10 per cent over the previous report, compared to 6.4 per cent among the general population.  

And it's not just seniors on fixed incomes or pensions anymore, with many needing to work in order to eat and live. 

"There are a number of people that are continuing to work because they're not able to afford to live on just the pension alone. Whether it's full-time work or part-time work, people are certainly working longer into life," MacDonald said.

"Unfortunately, once they come, they continue to come. There's only so much money and it only goes so far."

Navigators in more communities

MacDonald's food bank isn't the only service trying to help seniors across the province. 

The P.E.I. government hired a second seniors navigator this January. the same month it received over 250 requests for assistance, an increase of almost 50 per cent from December 2023. 

The navigators now reach 19 communities across the province on a monthly basis, helping seniors tap into government funding like Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Support (GIS), home heating assistance and food services like Meals on Wheels. 

"It just allows for us to connect with seniors, near-seniors, caregivers and their families a lot more closely and in a lot more time-sensitive way to provide a better and more efficient service," said Hailey Arsenault, a seniors policy analyst with the province. 

"While there are benefits like OAS and GIS, there will… unfortunately be seniors who are struggling, especially with rising costs of living and inflation.

"Another reason for the seniors navigators is to help be there for seniors when they're in these types of situations and try and find supports for them to make sure they're receiving the services that they need." 

Making tough choices

If or until the cost of living comes down, seniors will continue to be faced with tough choices about what and how they pay to live, whether it's working longer or sacrificing food so they can pay their bills. 

"Sometimes our clients have to make choices on basically where to put their money — and sometimes that food budget is taken away from because of other things," MacDonald said.

"There does seem to be more and more seniors making those decisions."