Well-being

Council endorses community-wide effort to tackle poverty

Prince Edward County took steps toward a new community-wide approach to poverty reduction, following a report presented to Council this week. The report, prepared by Programs Supervisor Julianne Snepsts, introduces a framework based on the Bridges Out of Poverty model and recommends that Council endorse a whole-community strategy to raise awareness and develop action around poverty reduction.

According to the report, poverty in Prince Edward County “is a complex and often hidden issue.” Data from the 2021 Census show that 2,470 residents (10.1 per cent) live on low incomes, including 400 children. The County also has the highest percentage of low-income seniors among all Ontario census divisions, with 33 percent affected.

Working poverty is widespread: 31 per cent of low-income individuals are employed but still struggle to afford basic necessities due to low wages, high housing costs, and the seasonal nature of local work. The median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment reached $1,716 in 2025, requiring an annual income of at least $68,640 to be considered affordable. Almost half of all County households earn less than that.

The report notes that many residents are “couch surfing or living in precarious, hidden situations,” creating what it calls a “quiet crisis.” Community consultations earlier this year found that poverty in the County is about more than income—it is also about access to housing, transportation, services, and social connection.

A FIRST-IN-CANADA APPROACH
The Bridges Out of Poverty model, already used in parts of Ontario, provides a roadmap for inclusive poverty reduction work. It centres the voices and experiences of people living in poverty in the design of programs, services, and policies.

If adopted, Prince Edward County would become the first community in Canada to implement the Bridges model from the ground up, with a long-term goal of becoming a “Bridges Community” over the next three to five years.

A full-day training session held October 28 attracted 100 participants, including residents, volunteers, agency staff, and municipal employees. According to the report, the response was “overwhelmingly positive,” with half the available spots filled within the first 48 hours.

The initiative’s first year will focus on awareness and shared understanding. Later years will emphasize applying the model’s principles to programs, service delivery, and systems change in areas such as housing, employment, and healthcare.

FOOD SECURITY AND FINANCIAL RELIEF
Twenty-thousand dollars in unspent 2025 funds will be carried forward to 2026 to continue work on food security in partnership with the PEC Food Collective, a network of 12 community organizations. The County notes that Hastings and Prince Edward has “the second-highest rate of food insecurity in the province,” and local data suggest the rate within the County “may be closer to one in three families.”

In addition, the report outlines next steps for the Municipal Financial Relief Grant (MFRG), which provides tax and water bill credits to low-income households. Since 2022, 1,846 grants have been issued through the program. The 2025 budget of $473,000 was undersubscribed by roughly $56,000, but staff estimate that only one-third of eligible residents are currently applying.

Council voted to maintain the MFRG at its present funding level in 2026 while staff refine eligibility guidelines and explore ways to improve accessibility and efficiency. The review will also consider the municipality’s long-term role in income-tested benefits and its broader investments in poverty reduction.

LOOKING AHEAD
The County’s Community Safety and Well-being (CSWB) Plan, launched in 2018, provides the framework for these efforts. It brings together more than 40 partners working across five priority areas: housing and homelessness, poverty reduction, domestic and intimate- partner violence, seniors support, and mental health and substance use.

Through the CSWB Plan and the Bridges model, the County aims to “build a common understanding of the causes, impacts, and solutions to poverty” and to ensure that “efforts are aligned, impactful, and sustainable.”

Staff will return to Council in early 2026 with refined program guidelines for the MFRG and further recommendations developed in collaboration with residents living on low incomes.

The report concludes that “to move toward a future without poverty, a shared understanding and coordinated, whole-community approach is needed—one that ensures everyone sees themselves as part of the solution.”