Households composed of single adults have grown from 30% of those helped by food banks in 2001, to 45% in 2016.

Food banks have unfortunately become an essential part of the Canadian social support system, and this is particularly true in the case of single, working-age people, who have few other places to turn for assistance when they fall on hard times.

This paper makes the case that the soon-to-be-released Federal Poverty Reduction Strategy should include a strong focus on this population, which is one of the least financially, physically, and mentally well in the country.

It puts forward recommendations for action, with one overarching message: we are utterly failing this population.