At least one local agency isn't surprised to hear half of working Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque. Over 5,600 people were polled by the Canadian Payroll Association. 48% said they rely on each payday to cover their bills, and wouldn't be able to meet their financial commitments if their paycheque was delayed just a week.
Captain Nancy Braye says many of the clients at the Sarnia Salvation Army are in the same boat. "We also have people, who because they're working and not on assistance, very often in order to get help from agencies like the Salvation Army, they have to actually take time off work in order to come in to be able to get assistance," says Braye. "Many of these people don't qualify for a lot of the different assistance programs that are out there because they're working, so they're sort of caught in that grey area which is very very difficult." Braye says the summer months are particularly difficult with more and more people seeking assistance with rent, utilities and food and fewer donations coming in. The recent survey also found half of those polled said they are able to save 5% or less from their earnings, with 39% of respondents admitting they're ``overwhelmed'' by their debt.
