{"id":61232,"date":"2023-08-22T13:52:25","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T17:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/?p=61232"},"modified":"2023-08-23T20:28:45","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T00:28:45","slug":"back-to-school-season-presents-many-challenges-for-vulnerable-populations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centraide-mtl.org\/en\/blog\/back-to-school-season-presents-many-challenges-for-vulnerable-populations\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-school season presents many challenges for vulnerable populations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the school year approaches, vulnerable people and families in the Greater Montreal area face multiple stressors: inflation, kids falling behind, kids dropping out. Back-to-school is a challenging time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On August 16, Saskya Kamakondi breathed a sigh of relief as she and her three children left Op\u00e9ration Sac \u00e0 dos<\/strong> in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood with new backpacks, fresh notebooks and wide smiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cOp\u00e9ration Sac \u00e0 dos helps us get organized for the new school year. We\u2019re on a tight budget, so this lets us get ready for back to school and see what we still need. This year, we might be able to get away with just buying new scissors. It makes a huge difference.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Sakya Kmakondi, mother who works for a community agency.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Agencies are seeing more and more families in the same situation. \u201cWith the cost of so many things skyrocketing, it’s even harder this year,\u201d says Joelle McNeil Paquet, executive director of L\u2019Antre-Jeunes de Mercier-Est<\/a>, a community agency that helps mainly young people and families living in social housing. Many of their clients are parents with unstable or minimum-wage jobs. \u201cBack-to-school season can be very stressful for people on welfare or in low-wage jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, initiatives such as Op\u00e9ration Sac \u00e0 dos help alleviate back-to-school financial anxieties. \u201cOp\u00e9ration Sac has been a ray of light in our lives,\u201d says Saskya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Je Passe Partout<\/a>, an agency that supports children ages 3 to 17, mostly from underprivileged backgrounds, has seen the same trend. \u201cPeople are under more financial stress due to inflation,\u201d says executive director Samuel Carrier. \u201cThere are a number of factors, such as rising rents, which are increasing the pressure on the most vulnerable families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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