Aged-out youth are often between the ages of 16 and 19 who exit institutions such as prisons, child welfare systems, and other institutions into community life. They are a large demographic with unique characteristics, strengths, inner power and resilience.  Support for addressing the needs of aged-out youth should draw upon their strengths, personal interests, identity, and knowledge. Their lived experience makes them unique experts, as they oftentimes know what is best for them, thus requiring tailored approaches that align with their goals and needs.

Unfortunately, this demographic is often mischaracterized within institutions, often labelled as “trouble”, and “at-risk”. Their lived experience interacting with systems, alongside their marginalized social locations, heightens their vulnerabilities to individual and structural risk factors.  Aged out youth are more than harmful stereotypes; these are individuals with a multitude of complexities, capabilities and assets to contribute to society. Support that values autonomy, dignity, and equity is needed, alongside support that highlights structural causes of their precarity rather than seeking to shift individual blame or victimization.
In 2025, Campaign 2000 collaborated on various national housing-focused initiatives, including the release of the Neha Review Panel’s final report {1}. The Neha Review Panel is a crucial, groundbreaking human rights enforcement mechanism created to address systemic housing insecurity. This vital mechanism is one of the few human rights-centred review panels in Canada that draws on the housing needs and lived experiences of women, Two Spirit, Trans, gender-diverse people, and young people experiencing poverty. Discussion centred on aged-out young people who are vulnerable to housing insecurity, incarceration, and acute poverty. A year after the panel, concerns about aged-out youth transitioning to adulthood remain, as these vulnerable demographic needs are grossly unmet. Policy reform must be implemented and operated through a human rights, intersectional, and anti-oppressive approach.

Neoliberal policies, such as cutting government spending on vital social programs, are felt acutely by youths who need support. Poverty-reduction initiatives, ranging from income support to transitional housing and employment services, can help youth successfully exit institutions. Campaign 2000 report card highlights a “2025 report card by the Standing Senate Committee on Youth Aging Out of Care based on the 8 Transition to Adulthood Pillars of the Equitable Standards“{1}.

Racialized youth are disproportionately interacting with institutions such as child welfare and judicial systems, thus requiring anti-discriminatory measures to be enacted to eliminate race-based oppression. Black and Indigenous youth experience discrimination throughout their engagement with institutions, as they are more likely to be separated from their families by child welfare agencies and more likely to receive punitive outcomes than their white counterparts. Anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism continues after transitioning out of care, as racism is deeply embedded in employment and housing systems, increasing the risk of poverty.
Programs, policies, and practitioners must defer from practices that do not consider race and intersectionality and engage in trauma-informed and culturally safe approaches that recognize and seek to dismantle racial disparities at all levels. Youth need a voice in their care, as their lived experience can help inform stronger interventions and enable self-determination and autonomy. Aged-out Youth are more than their labels; while it is significant to note their marginalization, it is also important to recognize their strength and resilience. There is a significant portion of aged-out young people who successfully transitioned out of care and contribute to society; for some, their capabilities are hindered by structural obstacles. Structural reform must be put in place to eliminate barriers and foster a safe, supportive and inclusive transition for all youth.

References

{1} https://cms.nhc-cnl.ca/media/Neha/Reports/final-report-and-recommendations-ENGLISH%20(web).pdf

{2} https://campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025-Report-Card-on-Child-and-Family-Poverty.pdf

{3} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUovRRFHieI

{4} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFedfeuC_aA

{5} Cover Photo retrieved from C2K National Report Card.

Read More At:

• Campaign2000 report card, Investing in Tomorrow: Future without Poverty (2025), calls upon the Canadian government to uphold the promise to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000, read more about the progress here: https://campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025-Report-Card-on-Child-and-Family-Poverty.pdf
• Watch: Dialogue on Adequate Housing for Families and Preventing Child Apprehension (YouTube).
• Read: Neha Review Panel Final Report.
• Visit: Neha Review Panel releases reports, advocates call for action.

National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21, 2026), is a holiday that honours the diverse and rich cultures, histories, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples have inhabited these lands for thousands of years, communicating through complex and beautiful languages. Indigenous Peoples have maintained unique knowledge systems, traditions, and ways of life.

Drawing on this day’s core values, it is significant to address the barriers faced by the Indigenous population, particularly children and youth, to participating in their cultural practices.

Investing in Tomorrow: Future Without Poverty (2025) illustrates the high poverty rates of Indigenous children compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts, linking these disproportionate rates to historic and ongoing effects of colonization, institutional racism, marginalization, and discrimination. The report found that 23.7% of Indigenous children lived in poverty, a rate that is two times higher than that of non-Indigenous children{1}. The socioeconomic status of Indigenous children and families has played a key role in cultural erosion. Poverty and inequality can contribute to the lack of means to engage in cultural practices due to material deprivation. Indigenous families residing on reserves experience food and housing insecurity at alarming rates. In 2024, nearly one in three Indigenous Peoples aged 15 and older were living in moderate or severely food-insecure households {2}. As a result, Indigenous families may spend more time focusing on their economic challenges rather than engaging in cultural practices.

Furthermore, state interventions such as child welfare can result in Indigenous children losing access to their cultures and traditions. Child welfare systems seek to protect the well-being of children, and those that fall into the categories of being at risk of “imminent or future danger” face high chances of being apprehended into state care {3}. However, there are significant racial disparities for children who are removed from their homes. Indigenous children and youth are apprehended at disproportionate levels, making up 30% of those in state custody despite representing a smaller proportion of the population {3}. One rationale behind these removals can be attributed to “neglect”; a parent who is unable to provide necessities (i.e., housing and food) sufficiently may face the removal of their child into state care. Indigenous populations, especially those living on reserves, often lack proper infrastructure, social safety nets, and resources such as clean water and safe housing. These issues are further amplified by colonial practices and policies that have resulted in intergenerational trauma and unhealthy coping mechanisms, making Indigenous populations more vulnerable to poverty.

 The mass removal of children mirrors the legacy of residential schools, where children and youth were forcibly taken from their homes, communities, families, and cultures. Residential schools operated for over a century, with closures occurring as recently as the 1990s. These institutions operated nationwide with the intent of assimilating students into Euro-Canadian society. Although residential schools have closed, anti-Indigenous racism continues to operate within contemporary institutions. Indigenous children are being separated from their families, community members, and Elders, losing access to communal support, a fundamental aspect of Indigenous ways of life. Additionally, reduced interaction with cultural and spiritual teachings, combined with placement in care with non-Indigenous or Western caregivers, reinforces the same patterns of cultural genocide inflicted during the residential school era.

Despite historic, organized efforts to suppress Indigenous Peoples and dismantle their ways of life, these measures have failed. Indigenous communities remain deeply committed to disrupting settler colonialism, an ongoing act of resurgence and collective strength. Thriving through resistance, celebrations such as National Indigenous Peoples Day represent a powerful defiance against cultural suppression and systemic oppression. June 21, 2026, marks the 30th anniversary of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Coinciding with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, this date holds significant spiritual and cultural significance, as many Indigenous nations have gathered here for generations to practice their traditions and celebrate new beginnings. Centred on the key themes of restoration and celebration, National Indigenous Peoples Day provides an opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to fully embrace and practice their heritage while promoting dialogue, relational learning, and meaningful community engagement with allies. Ultimately, seeking true reconciliation requires the federal government to establish concrete, meaningful efforts that support cultural revitalization, address structural inequalities, and fully uphold the self-governance and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples.

The Campaign200 report card, Investing in Tomorrow: A Future without Poverty (2025), calls upon the Canadian government to uphold its promise to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. Read more about the progress here: https://campaign2000.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025-Report-Card-on-Child-and-Family-Poverty.pdf.

Post By: Mariam Mumin (2026-06-19)

References

{1} https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810028301

{2} https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310083501

{3} www.ohrc.on.ca/en/interrupted-childhoods-over-representation-indigenous-and-black-children-ontario-child-welfare

Key Findings

1. Child and family poverty is worsening, rising for the third consecutive year In 2023, one in four (25.7%) children aged 0–17 in Toronto experienced poverty.
2. Toronto continues to hold the troubling distinction of being the child poverty capital among Canada’s largest municipalities
3. Half of all children in one-parent households live in poverty, and almost all children not in census families live in poverty
4. Families are falling further below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet
5. Child poverty affects families in every ward, while concentrated pockets of poverty persist across the city
6. Child poverty continues to disproportionately affect Indigenous, racialized, immigrant and newcomer children, as well as children living in households without permanent resident status

Next Steps: Take Action!

Addressing child and family poverty will require leadership and coordinated action from each level of government. This report outlines detailed recommendations for the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. With a systems-level and root-cause framing, these recommendations focus on three approaches to addressing child and family poverty:

• ensure livable incomes and inclusive economic development practices;
• implement a rights-based approach to basic needs and affordability; and
• renew the focus on poverty reduction and systemic inequality.

There is also a role for every Torontonian to play. As the municipal election gears up and residents prepare to vote on October 26, they can ask candidates: “What will you do to reduce child and family poverty in our city—and how will you make sure it actually happens?” 

Read The Full Report Here

Hamilton’s first Child and Family Report Card has been released! Using taxfiler data, this new report explores family and child poverty, finding that Hamilton’s child poverty rate of 21.1% in 2023 is higher than both the Canadian(18.3%) and Ontario (19.9%) rates. That means that one in five children in Hamilton are living in poverty. This is over 24,000 children in Hamilton. Read the full report here!

A Community Conversation was held on June 9, 2026 to discuss the Family and Child Poverty in Hamilton Report. Ted Hildebrandt (Senior Social Planner) presented key findings from the report. He was joined by Leila Sarangi (National Director, Campaign 2000: End Child & Family Poverty), who presented on the 2025 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada. This was followed by a discussion on understanding the findings, exploring impacts on children and families, and identifying solutions. Watch Here!

Campaign 2000’s 2026 Pre-Budget Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance calls on the federal government to take immediate action to reduce rising child poverty in Canada. Nearly 1.4 million children are living in poverty, 2.5 million children live in food-insecure households, and families are falling an average of more than $15,000 below the low-income threshold.

The submission outlines clear, evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the Canada Child Benefit through a new End Child Poverty Supplement of up to $8,500 for the first child in low-income families. It also calls for expanded access to the benefit for families facing barriers and stronger income supports for those experiencing the deepest poverty. These investments are essential to ensuring every child and family in Canada has the resources they need to thrive.

Read the full submission here!

Investing in Tomorrow: A Future Without Poverty

Campaign 2000 has released the 2025 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada, drawing on the latest national data to examine the state of child and family poverty across the country. More than two decades after Canada pledged to eliminate child poverty, progress is moving in the wrong direction.

 Child poverty rose for the third consecutive year, with nearly 30,000 additional children falling into poverty. Today, 802,000 children (10.7%) live in poverty using Canada’s official measure, and nearly 1.4 million children live in poverty using a broader income measure. At the current pace, it would take almost 400 years to end child poverty in Canada.

Poverty Is Rising and Deepening

As housing and food costs increase, families are falling further behind. On average, families with children are living more than $15,000 below the poverty line, and 1.2 million adults are working but are still unable to meet basic needs.

Government supports remain critical but are no longer keeping pace with the cost of living. The Canada Child Benefit prevented more than 580,000 children from falling into poverty in 2023, yet its impact has weakened over time. Food insecurity is also worsening, with 2.5 million children living in food-insecure households across the provinces and severe food insecurity doubling since 2019.

Key Findings

• Nearly 1.4 million children in Canada are living in poverty using a broader income measure.
  
• Inflation and high costs of housing and food further eroded the purchasing power for families in low income
  
• 45.2% of children in lone-parent families live in poverty, compared to 10.1% in couple families
  
  
• More than half of children living on reserve were in poverty in 2023
  
  
• Almost all children not living in families experience poverty
  
  
• Poverty rates are highest in Nunavut, followed by Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  
  
• Income inequality continues to widen, with the top 10% of families earning nearly 19 times more than the bottom 10%

• Nearly all children under 18 years of age who do not live in families live in poverty (99%)

• 2.5 million children in provinces lived in food-insecure households. The number of children in severely food-insecure households doubled between 2019-2023

The Path Forward

The report reinforces that poverty is not inevitable. Evidence shows poverty can be reduced when governments invest in income supports and public services such as child care, housing, and health care.

The 2025 Report Card calls for strengthening Canada’s poverty reduction plan, restoring the effectiveness of the Canada Child Benefit through a CCB End Poverty Supplement, expanding affordable child care and housing, ensuring wages and benefits lift families above the poverty line, and addressing systemic inequities faced by marginalized families.

Resources to Share

• National Report Card in English
• Accessible Report English
• Press Release English
• Infographic English

• National Report Card in French
• Accessible Report French (Forthcoming)
• Press Release French
• Infographic French

Provincial and Territorial partners also contributed their own report cards, highlighting how child and family poverty is experienced across different regions of the country. The full provincial and territorial reports are available below:

• Yukon – Press Release, Infographic
• British Columbia
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba– Press Release, Brief
• Ontario (Forthcoming)
• New Brunswick, French
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador (Forthcoming)
• Toronto (Forthcoming)
• Hamilton (Forthcoming)
  
  Sign the Campaign 2000 call to action and share it with your networks.

Federal, provincial and territorial Ministers most responsible for child care are meeting this week in Ottawa to discuss the future of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care ($10-a-Day) system.

Ahead of the meeting, a pan-Canadian coalition coordinated by Child Care Now has delivered a joint letter to ministers calling on every level of government to commit to expanding and strengthening the $10-a-Day program.

The letter recognizes the real and measurable progress made since the system’s launch in 2021. Investments have expanded licensed child care spaces, lowered parent fees during a period of high inflation, and contributed to a significant increase in women’s participation in the labour force. Families across the country have described access to affordable child care as life-changing, and initial steps have been taken to improve wages and working conditions in the largely female child care workforce.

At the same time, the letter makes clear that much more is required to meet the program’s long-term social and economic goals. Governments are urged to build on current momentum by increasing public funding to reflect the true cost of delivering high-quality care and to expand the supply of licensed, inclusive spaces.

Signatories call for:

• a primarily public and non-profit system so public dollars support quality and equity, not profit-making
• a maximum parent fee of $10 a day, with further reductions for low-income families
• sustained investments to recruit and retain qualified early childhood educators
• concrete, proactive expansion plans to ensure equitable access in all communities
• transparent, publicly available child care agreements, action plans and results
• full funding and implementation of Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Frameworks

As a signatory to the letter, Campaign 2000 joins partners across the country in urging governments to “keep the child care promise” and treat universal child care as essential social and economic infrastructure.

A strong, universal child care system will enhance economic security for families, advance gender equity, and support the wellbeing of children and communities for generations to come.

Read the Full Letter Here (English) (French)

Find your MPP’s Contact Information

Find your MP’s Contact Information

Watch the News Conference Here

The third annual Disability Poverty Report Card was released today, offering a national snapshot
of the ongoing and deeply entrenched poverty experienced by people with disabilities in
Canada. Drawing on the newest data from the Canadian Income Survey and the Canadian
Survey on Disability, the report confirms what many have long known: poverty for people with
disabilities remains widespread, persistent, and shaped by systems that continue to fall short
of fairness, accessibility and economic security.

This year’s report shows only marginal progress. Canada’s federal grade has shifted from last
year’s failing grade to a D, reflecting limited and uneven action. While the rollout of the
Canada Disability Benefit began in July 2025, the current $200 monthly amount is far from
adequate. One and a half million people with disabilities remain below the poverty line and many continue to face barriers to accessing the support they need.

The findings illustrate a worsening reality. People with disabilities are still nearly twice as likely
to live in poverty as non-disabled Canadians, and the depth of poverty is increasing. On
average, individuals with disabilities lived 30% below the poverty line in 2023, a widening gap
that underscores the urgent need for coordinated policy action. Working-age adults and
people living alone experience the highest rates of poverty, highlighting the profound
inequities that continue to shape daily life for so many.

Behind every statistic is a person navigating high costs and barriers that
should not exist in a country committed to inclusion. The report serves as a critical reminder
that action is not only needed but long overdue.

Read The Full Report Below!

English

Infographic

Press Release

The 2025 BC Child Poverty Report Card shows a province where far too many children continue to face economic hardship. In 2023, British Columbia’s child poverty rate remained at 16.7%, representing 149,370 children and youth living in families with incomes below the low-income threshold. Although the rate appears unchanged from the previous year, this stability is misleading. Behind it is a rise of 1,800 more children experiencing poverty, illustrating how even minor percentage shifts translate into thousands of young lives affected.

The report highlights a deeper and more urgent concern: families are not just living in poverty, they are being pushed further below the poverty line. In 2023, Two-parent families with two children who were living in low income fell $15,674 below the poverty line, an increase from 2022. Lone-parent families faced an even harsher reality, falling $17,109 below the line, more than $1,000 deeper into poverty in just one year.

This widening gap reflects growing financial strain at a time of mounting cost pressures across the province. The Report Card underscores that child poverty in B.C. is not simply persistent, it is becoming more severe, leaving families with fewer resources, less stability, less ability to stay afloat.

Read More Here!

Campaign 2000 participated in several national housing-focused events this year, including the release of the Neha Review Panel’s final report (November 25th, 2025) and an earlier dialogue on adequate housing for families and preventing child apprehension (June 23rd, 2025). Marking National Housing Day on November 22, these conversations highlighted that Canada is still not meeting its obligation to uphold the right to safe, adequate and affordable housing—especially for women, Two Spirit, Trans, gender-diverse people, and young people living in deep poverty. As National Director Leila Sarangi noted, “young people exiting child welfare, who are houseless, incarcerated, or living in deep poverty are too often forgotten in policy-making and require strong public supports, starting with a safe, stable place to call home.” Campaign 2000 joins the call for urgent federal action to implement the panel’s recommendations and progressively realize the right to housing for all children, youth, and marginalized communities.

Learn more:

• Watch: Dialogue on Adequate Housing for Families and Preventing Child Apprehension (YouTube).

• Read: Neha Review Panel Final Report.

• Visit: Neha Review Panel releases reports, advocates call for action.