Fighting poverty
and social exclusion
Greater Montreal is home to more than half of all people who live in poverty in Quebec, totalling 615,000 people.
Poverty rates are higher for children, single-parent families, single individuals, recent immigrants, members of visible minorities, and a growing number of workers.
Poverty can be persistent or temporary, brought on by difficult situations (job loss, family upheaval, mental health issues, difficult immigration experiences, etc.) or other factors (age, disability, ethnocultural background, etc.).
Poverty has a significant impact on several aspects of life, including academic success, housing conditions, food security, physical and mental health, and life expectancy.
Poverty is a major cause of social exclusion, just as social exclusion is in turn a barrier to overcoming poverty. It’s a vicious cycle!
Poverty is not an individual issue. It concerns everyone! Poverty has a cost, as it deprives society of its full pool of talent and resources. It costs Quebec between $15 and 17 billion per year.
Our mission
Centraide’s mission is to make the most important social issues such as poverty and exclusion unignorable and provide everyone with the means to build inclusive communities and improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable.
Our areas of action: Four related focuses
The agencies we support address several dimensions of poverty, including youth success, meeting basic needs, the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized communities, and the development of inclusive living environments. All of these aspects are interrelated and depend on each other.
- For children to succeed in school, they need to live in adequate housing and have access to healthy food.
- For the smooth integration of recently immigrated families, they need to live in a welcoming neighbourhood.