Food and Housing Insescurity
About This Collection
As Canadians grapple with rising food prices outpacing inflation and a lack of affordable housing, Future of Good looks at ways organizations are finding solutions and offering ideas to help ensure everyone has clean, warm shelter and no one goes hungry.
Op-Ed: When it comes to homelessness, what we call ‘compassion fatigue’ is something else entirely
How we frame public responses to homelessness shapes the policies, attitudes, and systems we build. Mislabeling the issue as “compassion fatigue” lets society avoid confronting the deeper erosion of solidarity and justice that unhoused people urgently need addressed.
‘Winnipeg Declaration’ calls on faith leaders to transform empty church land into affordable housing
Canada faces a homelessness crisis, at the same time many religious spaces are underutilized. Releven believes solving homelessness could mean repurposing religious spaces.
Advocates like first steps for food insecurity and affordability, but say easier, more permanent solutions needed
The federal plan offers meaningful short‑term relief for millions of Canadians struggling with rising food costs, but experts warn that without deeper structural reforms, the measures only ease symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of food insecurity.
Canada’s new Grocery Code of Conduct is here, but don’t expect any instant price drops
The Grocery Code of Conduct introduces standardized rules intended to increase transparency, predictability, and fairness between retailers and suppliers across Canada. While it may strengthen competition and support smaller retailers, it does not regulate or reduce food prices, which continue to be driven largely by external supply‑side factors.
OP-ED: Why we need to talk about the root causes of food insecurity in Canada
Food insecurity is not caused by a lack of food — it’s driven by policies that keep millions of people in Canada living with insufficient and unstable incomes. Until governments address the structural roots of poverty, charitable food programs will continue to expand while the crisis itself deepens.
StatsCan: Food insecurity more widespread following COVID-19 pandemic
The impact of the pandemic has been far-reaching. Concrete data about the effects helps policymakers create strategies that support all Canadians struggling to afford food.
Canada's escalating food prices: the obvious solution and the systemic one
Canadian grocery prices rose 27 per cent between 2020 and 2025, outpacing the rate of inflation. Four companies control 75 per cent of the Canadian grocery market. Public and non-profit stores could help; however, the whole food system needs fixing, say experts, much like housing; Canadians need and want more options.
Record number of working Canadians now relying on food banks
As the affordability crisis worsens, more Canadians are turning to food banks and other non-profits to help with resources. This places additional strain on already underfunded systems, and the problem is likely to worsen. Experts say there are solutions, however.
Feeding change: Regina’s free grocery store will soon be developing its own food products
While the choice model food bank is not a new concept, Regina’s Community Food Hub has also added a “layer of innovation” through data-enabled decision-making, said CEO John Bailey. Although clients are not paying for their food, data about what they are “buying” is becoming invaluable to the food bank’s operations.
Feeding Change: North York Harvest Food Bank on the verge of becoming self-sufficient
The rising food insecurity crisis shows that communities need solutions beyond traditional food bank services.
Budget 2025: How Canada’s national school food program can catalyze systemic change
On October 10, the Carney government announced the National School Food program will be permanent with $216 million in annual funding starting in 2029. Making this program permanent could be the first step into a systemic change by creating a national ecosystem of social caterers and food security non-profit.
Food bank usage in Canada soars to all-time high
The rise in food insecurity in Canada highlights the larger economic pressures Canadians face, showing the real effects of the affordability crisis and the need for systemic solutions.
Canadian Mennonite University to give first-year students free housing
Rising housing costs have become a significant barrier to post-secondary education. CMU’s announcement shows how donor support can create lasting benefits with the potential to impact Canadians for generations to come.
Federal funding cuts to refugee housing will negatively impact Black, African communities most, say advocates
In 2023, several refugees who arrived in Toronto ended up unhoused or in the city’s temporary shelters. Many had arrived from African countries. Organizations have warned that the federal government’s cuts to the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) could lead to another emergency in the city, with local municipalities, churches and community groups picking up what they say should be a federal responsibility.
Maytree accuses feds of potentially violating Charter, human rights laws over cuts to refugee housing funding
Two years after hundreds of refugees were left sleeping on Toronto city streets, funding for the Interim Housing Assistance Program has been reduced by the federal government. However, while funding has been reduced, so has the number of asylum claims. It's obvious a multi-pronged solution is needed.
Affordable housing, robust benefits, transparency and more: 7 things the social sector wants from Budget 2025
Amid Prime Minister Mark Carney’s promised reduction in the public service, non-profits and social purpose groups will likely have a tough time advocating for increased funding. However, many also recommend that the government review some of its social policy commitments and update them with the present economic situation in mind.
A supportive housing failure in Vancouver is spurring innovative changes to Granville Street. Other cities are getting creative, too
Canada’s housing crisis is disproportionately affecting low-income Canadians. Without creative intervention, homelessness will only get worse. The good news is that intervention is beginning to happen—here’s how.
Sowing solutions: An innovative approach to fighting food insecurity in Canada
A powerful partnership between a local non-profit, a forward-thinking tech company, and a major financial institution is transforming the fight against food insecurity—offering not just meals, but a sustainable future for vulnerable communities.
Why are one-third of non-profit workers food insecure?
There is an urgent need for better funding models in the social sector that prioritize living wages and sustainability.
Non-profit housing could hold key to current crisis, so why aren’t politicians talking about it?
Homelessness is a growing issue across Canada, and increasing economic upheaval may make the situation worse. Greater investment in supportive housing could help.
How a QR code campaign generated $250,000 for Toronto food bank Daily Bread
By spinning up a low-cost fundraising campaign informed by a change in a local context, Daily Bread was able to generate additional capital – crucial as demand on its network of food banks continues to rise.
Record food bank numbers persist despite falling inflation levels; Canadian food disparity a “moral failure” say experts
Inflation has fallen to its lowest level in three years, but those in the food security sector say adequate sustenance is still out of reach for many people struggling to make ends meet.