A new Financial Anxiety Index poll from United Way Centraide Canada shows two thirds of people in Ontario (63%) feel anxious about their finances, up 6% from last year’s survey.
United Way Eastern Ontario CEO Rachael Wilson says it’s concerning that the amount of financial anxiety people feel is increasing year after year.
Nationally, almost one third of people say their financial situation has worsened over the past six months, and single parents, newcomers, and youth are among the most affected.
Wilson says it’s a challenging time for the United Way and its member agencies, who try to help people who are struggling.
The stats are particularly worrying in Eastern Ontario, where 47% of residents are experiencing at least one concrete sign of financial hardship, such as not being able to feed their families.
The United Way are continuously fundraising in an effort to help those most vulnerable.
Each year in Canada, the United Way funds about 600 million dollars in programs to help with issues such as homelessness and poverty reduction. Wilson says if anyone is able to, a donation to their program to end youth homelessness would be very beneficial at the moment as the Turnbull Family Foundation is matching donations 3-to-1.
