Good morning. My name is Neil Hetherington. I have the awesome privilege of being the CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank. The Daily Bread is Canada's largest food bank, providing more than 90% of emergency food support across the city of Toronto through a network of 214 food banks and food programs.
Last year, visits to food banks in Toronto reached a record of 4.1 million visits. For context, it took us 28 years to get to one million visits, two years to get to two million visits, one year to get to three million visits, and here we are at now 4.1 million visits. We now feed one in 10 Torontonians. We will continue to feed that need and use those staggering statistics and the stories and people behind them in order to advocate at all three levels of government to be able to change the situation that we're in.
Each of the individuals who comes to the food bank has their own story, but there are three areas where we advocate the most. One is affordable housing, the second is income supports and the third is the decrease of precarious employment.
We want to thank the government for its work in bringing about the Canada disability benefit. This, we believe, will bring a marked improvement to the lives of the people we serve on a regular basis. We are also deeply encouraged to see the groceries and essentials benefit come into force, as well as funding for the permanent national school food program. However, as we celebrate these important measures, each of us in this room knows that there is still more to do.
Over one in four Canadians now is experiencing food insecurity, and we are seeing this on the front lines every single day. While there are several factors driving it, the lack of affordable housing is key. When budgets are tight, rent eats first. Both nationally and in Toronto, over 90% of food bank clients are renters. One in five—this is a staggering statistic—food bank users spend 100% of their income on rent and utilities, relying completely on friends, family and charity in order to pay for food and transportation and all of the basics.
We applaud the government for the deep investment through Build Canada Homes to increase the supply of deeply affordable and social housing. This is critically important, but investing in housing supply is not going to help people who are struggling right now. The federal Canada housing benefit, launched in 2020 and administered through the bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories, is set to end in March 2028 and has reached only about 6% of renter households living in unaffordable housing.
In our submission, I am recommending something that is far-reaching and has the possibility to bring significant hope and change to Canadians. We are proposing a federal tax credit on rent paid by low-income households. Provinces such as Manitoba already have a renter affordable tax credit, but the lack of a Canada-wide, immediate and income-based approach to housing affordability is leaving many low-income renters without any support.
Housing is a human right. No individuals should be forced to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table. A simple, income-tested tax credit against rent paid could help millions of Canadian renters live with dignity. It's simple and targeted, with maximum allowable deductions set by the government based on the fiscal realities that we all face.
Second, another important measure that will unlock millions of dollars for people living in deep poverty is improving access to the disability tax credit, popularly known as the DTC. The DTC is no longer just a tax credit. It is a key gateway for people to access several federal disability supports, including the Canada disability benefit, but many barriers are preventing the majority of people with disabilities from accessing these supports. As a result, people with disabilities make up one in four food bank clients as they struggle to get by.
We're glad to see the changes introduced in the spring economic update that will make the DTC more accessible, and let's build on that progress by broadening the DTC's definition of disability, so that individuals receiving disability support through social assistance in any province or territory can also qualify for the federal disability benefit. Let's also pair that with targeted improvements to the DTC's application process and navigation supports that are required.
Right now, the federal government is putting together the national food security strategy to tackle the root causes of food insecurity. Ensuring that people have adequate incomes through supports like the Canada disability benefit and a rental tax credit will be essential to that success. When people can afford housing and their basic needs, they can raise healthy families and they can thrive in community, and I know that collectively that's what we all want to have happen.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.