Community shelters for new mothers and infants are working hard to make ends meet as costs for baby supplies and housing continue to increase.
Vulnerable mothers in Ontario are struggling to nurture their infants as rising costs in baby supplies and limited social supports are placing extraordinary pressure on families.At Michaels House, a shelter focused on parenting and support, executive director Karen Kamphuis says skyrocketing costs are making it extremely difficult to meet the needs of the women and children they serve.
“I’ve seen moms keeping their child in a diaper longer than they should just to use fewer diapers and buy them less frequently,” she noted.Michael’s House operates two locations and provides meals, baby care and other essentials for mothers in their residential program. But with only space for five mothers and their children at a time, the growing demand for support far exceeds their capacity.“At the end of summer, going into September, we had 35 people on our waitlist,” Kamphuis says.
Program manager Marina Kowalsky says the rising cost of baby formula is a significant burden for mothers. “We’ve seen our grocery bill go from under $350 to well over $500 to feed seven women,” she explained. “If our donations run dry, our house runs dry, and we’ll have to close.” She warns this is an ongoing issue that is only getting worse and should not be ignored. “I cannot stress how important this is for us to take seriously as a society,” Nichols says.Canada Post says ‘parties remain far apart’ as strike continuesBoth Kamphuis and Kowalsky agree that more systemic support is needed for Ontario’s vulnerable mothers and children.
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