Do The Math! Hosted by The Stop Community Food Centre

"You know that you are poor when you need to wait to give your child his asthma medicine because you can't afford the aero-chamber."

- Voices from Davenport West Town Hall Meeting

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Housing-Related Costs

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Rent (including utilities) - Choose one of the following: Bachelor Apartment One Bedroom Apartment Shared Accommodation Subsidized Housing	$
Telephone, Internet	$
Other Housing-Related: These expenses include replacing or repairing furniture, purchasing electronics such as an alarm clock, radio, DVD player, etc.	$

Bachelor and One-Bedroom Apartments

Market prices obtained from the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (Fall 2011) indicate that the average rent for a bachelor apartment in Toronto is $843. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,081.

Bachelor and One-Bedroom Apartments

Shared Accommodation

Average rent for sharing a two-bedroom apartment in Toronto is $616.50 (Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation, Fall 2011). Average rent for shared accommodation in Toronto is $700 (University of Toronto, Student Housing Service, 2011). Being able to rent in shared space depends on the existing renter's or the landlord's perception of the renter's compatibility, and so this option is not always available.

Subsidized Housing

As of January 2012, there were 69,342 households on the active waiting list for subsidized housing in Toronto. Peel Region has a wait list of 12,853 households, and York Region has 8,688 active households on the waiting list.

In a 2011 survey, service managers cited challenging economic conditions, increases in housing costs, and the loss of affordable rental stock, along with the aging population and family breakdown due to domestic violence, as factors influencing waiting lists in their areas. A 2009 survey of service managers and housing registry staff indicated that 64% believed that the long wait times were discouraging potential applicants from submitting applications. In this way, we can assume that there are many more people in need of subsidized housing that are not reflected in the waiting lists.

See the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association's province-wide wait list results here: http://www.onpha.on.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Waiting_Lists_2012&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=13244.

Telephone and Internet

Landline

Primus Canada charges $15.80/month for the first three months and $40.80/month thereafter, with a $55 activation fee. The smallest package available from Bell Canada is $31.95/month, with a $50 activation fee.

Cell Phone

Wind Mobile's most cost-effective plan is $25/month. Pre-paid plans are available starting at $10 a month, with calls being charged at $0.20/minute.

Internet

Teksavvy's monthly plans start at $24.95/month for internet. Some dial-up services are available at approximately $8/month.