Poor living

With apologies to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the very poor are different from you and me. For one thing, they’re probably a lot less healthy, both mentally and physically. A recent study released by CAP St-Barnabé, a 10-year-old East-End non-profit organization specializing in nutrition and intervention, reveals alarming results in the health of people living under the poverty line. In a 152-question survey, answered by 314 residents of the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, respondents on average said they slept less, ate less, used more drugs and alcohol and contemplated suicide far more than the average Quebecer.
“This report shows that poverty has a direct impact on people’s health,” says CAP coordinator Jeanelle Bouffard. “It shows that a person living in poverty is continuously struggling to survive and lives a very precarious, uncertain life.”

The report notes that over half of respondents eat two or less meals a day; 67 per cent smoke; 69 per cent use medication to sleep or calm themselves; 44 per cent say they have contemplated suicide, while 27 per cent attempted it within the last 12 months.
“There is no short-term solution to these problems,” Bouffard says. “We need to invest in getting these people back to work, through workshops, training, with partnerships with social groups, but also with political means, by not going after their wallets.” She says the report also stresses the importance of community organizations, which act as surrogate families for the 30 per cent who reported having little or not contact with relations over the last year. :

—Patrick Lejtenyi