Dear Editor,
People are struggling more than ever, and yet it feels like the government continues to make life harder instead of helping the people who are barely surviving.
Housing prices have become completely unrealistic. Families who work full-time jobs still cannot afford to rent or buy a home, yet new developments continue to be built that only wealthier people can afford. What is the point of building more homes if average citizens cannot live in them?
Gas prices continue to rise while wages do not. People need gas to get to work, bring their children to school, attend appointments, and survive day-to-day life. Filling a tank should not feel like a luxury.
At the same time, there are constant complaints about the increase in homelessness and the number of people needing welfare or assistance. But how are people supposed to survive when everything keeps going up? Rent, utilities, gas, groceries, daycare — every single basic necessity has become unaffordable. People are not choosing to struggle. They are being pushed into impossible situations with fewer and fewer options.
Daycare alone can cost around $60 a day per child. Parents need to work to survive, but many are working only to hand over their entire paycheck just so someone can watch their child while they work. That is not living, that is surviving.
Groceries are another major issue. A simple grocery trip can cost between $300 and $500 every week or every two weeks, depending on the size of the family. Basic food items that people once considered affordable are now out of reach for many households. Families are cutting meals, skipping necessities, and constantly worrying about how they will make it to the next paycheck.
People are told to “buy land,” “build a home,” “grow a garden,” or “raise animals” to become more self-sufficient. But how can anyone do that when land is unaffordable, building costs are outrageous, and even basic materials are priced beyond reach?
The cities are becoming overcrowded, expensive, and difficult to live in. Yet instead of improving communities and making life more affordable, it feels like more construction, more price increases, and more pressure are coming. Slowly, ordinary people are being pushed out simply because they cannot afford to keep up anymore.
This is not about laziness. This is not about people refusing to work. Many people are working harder than ever and still cannot get ahead. Citizens are exhausted, stressed, and losing hope for their future.
Something needs to change before more families are forced into poverty, homelessness, or impossible choices just to survive.
Lyticia Pariseau Noël, Quyon
