Meet Natalie & Ahmed – doing “all the right things” and still struggling to make ends meet

One of five household archetypes experiencing food insecurity

Last year, we shared a blog post describing some of the research the Centre has embarked on to better understand the economic, demographic, geographic and social/cultural characteristics of households experiencing food insecurity. Over the past two months, we have shared what we learned about four of the five household archetypes:

• Families including a person with a disability 
• Single adults living with a disability
• Single mothers
• Newcomers with permanent resident status

In this final post, we will look more closely at “Natalie & Ahmed”, and other families earning more than $60,000, but still experiencing food insecurity.

Food security amongst families above the poverty line

Moderate incomes, particularly from two earners, helps with household expenses, but with increasing cost of living, couples with children are not immune to food insecurity. Fifty percent of all newly food insecure households in 2022 were couples with children. And although food insecurity rates are higher amongst people below the poverty line, 78% of people experiencing food insecurity had household incomes above the poverty line. Most recent statistics show that 25% of couples with children (at all income levels) experience food insecurity. As we saw with the other archetypes we’ve discussed, families with a Black or Indigenous major income earner have higher rates of food insecurity, even if earning incomes above the poverty line.

With the rising costs of food and housing, even families who are doing “all the right things” are struggling to make ends meet.

Natalie & Ahmed

Natalie and Ahmed came from jobs in the food service industry where they made close to minimum wage and regularly used a food bank. They decided to make use of student loans to pursue education and new careers that would better align with the needs of raising a family and support their middle-class ambitions. They landed entry-level jobs in social work and the electrical trades, providing greater security and predictable incomes, enabling the purchase of a home and a vehicle to shuttle their kids to their weekly activities. They relied on modest emergency funds when their furnace broke down mid-winter and for an unexpected car repair.

Since their incomes haven’t kept pace with the cost of living, they started to plan their meals according to discounts at local grocery stores. As costs have climbed, they find themselves eating smaller portions to ensure their kids eat enough. Natalie doesn’t feel their need is severe enough to visit a food bank, though she struggles with a sense of shame and a shift from the life she thought they were building.

Natalie and Ahmed’s story highlights some key themes relevant to program design we heard in our interviews, including:

Critical moments to design for

To prevent, or quickly move families out of, food insecurity, there are a few critical moments we can design for:

• Job loss, parental leave, and job market re-entry: Periods of unemployment for this group and associated loss of income, either deliberately for parental leave or education or unintentionally because of job loss or lay-off, can tip an otherwise stable family into food insecurity.
• Housing cost spikes: Mortgage renewals and unexpected moves due to rent increases were a critical moment where need for direct food or expense supports surfaced for many in this group.
• School (re)start: The expense spike associated with the first months of the school year can drive parents to trim food budgets to avoid placing their children in a socially marginalized position.
• Upskilling & Reskilling: Achieving higher incomes often requires a degree of sacrifice, especially for those who exit the workforce temporarily to upskill out of lower-paid, less professional work. This can be a vulnerable period which creates debt or income consequences that continue to impact down the line.

Promising system touchpoints

Our interviews and workshop also highlighted some promising system touchpoints to reach families, many of which are similar for other archetypes, including:

• Healthcare providers and prenatal supports: Younger children in these families need frequent visits to family doctors and health clinics, and prenatal visits are common for those expanding their families.
• Schools, daycare, and libraries: With school-aged children, these families are often easily reached through schools and school programs. Libraries also provide a universal, stigma-free space for middle income families to learn about and access supports in the context of run-of-the-mill activities associated with these spaces.
• Colleges, universities, and professional associations: With career growth aspirations, people in this group often experience financial crunches around reskilling or upskilling efforts.
• Financial services (private sector), tax filing services, and tax credits: This group may be more likely to access conventional financial services including banks, accountants, and financial planners, creating the space for frank check-ins and support navigation.
• Social media: These families rely heavily on social media to find deals, learn about supports, and access events where they may find free or low-cost food in ways that aligns with their middle-class self-conception.
• Grocery stores: Accessing affordable or free food during otherwise-middle class shopping behaviours may appeal to this group.

You can learn more about all five archetypes in our summary report. If you’d like to discuss the report or receive a copy of the full research report, please fill out our request form or email info@feedopportunity.com.

We hope these blog posts over the past three months and our reports honour the individuals who were so generous in sharing their stories with us. We also hope the insights will contribute to continued conversations amongst The Centre, community groups and government to design new policies and programs to reduce food insecurity in Canada. The Centre will use these results to further drive our strategies to reduce food insecurity in Canada. We will continue to update our partners and stakeholders as we move forward.

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