The latest census data reveals Windsor has the highest rate of children living in a low-income household of 35 urban centres in Canada.
Provided by Statistics Canada.
The data shows one in four children or 24% live in a low income household, compared to one in five in the other urban centres.
"That has real implications on generational impacts of poverty going forward where you have children growing up and being trapped in this cycle of generational poverty in our community," says Frazier Fathers with the United Way.
Fathers says further data shows that one in three kids below the age of 6 are in a low income household. He says this data is alarming and can have long lasting effects on the community.
"Those first five years set the trajectory for the rest of their life, if they're not able to eat healthy meals now that have impacts on health. If they're not reading books now that has impacts on their school preparedness," says Fathers.
Overall poverty has also increased with Windsor's median household income dropping 6.4% between 2005 and 2015. The median household income in Windsor in 2015 was $55,450 compared to Ontario's median household income of $74,287.
The overall low income rate in Windsor jumped from 14% in 2005 to 17.5% in 2017, the largest low income rate in the province second to London at 17%.