New research report from SPRC Hamilton:

Where’s the Exit? Persistence of poverty in Hamilton and Ontario, 1992–2023

Along with annual snapshot data that show rates of poverty overall in a community, it is helpful to understand “persistence of poverty”: how many people fall into poverty and how hard it is to climb out. A community where the duration of poverty is long for a smaller number of people will need a different approach to poverty reduction, compared to a community where more people live in poverty, but duration is short and climbing out of poverty is easier.

This report examines:

• Entry rates into poverty
• Exit rates out of poverty
• Duration of poverty

The report also looks at trends in poverty persistence by:

• Age group
• Gender
• Immigration status
• Family type

This data shows the current trajectory of inadequate poverty reduction strategies has fallen short. In this time of breakdown in trust, its time for all government levels to show they are serious about tackling rising economic insecurity. The report recommends actions to change the trajectory and reduce persistence of poverty, to reduce entry rates into poverty, increase exit rates out of poverty, and renew poverty reduction strategies to be focused on pathways in and out of poverty to reduce persistence.