A non-profit organization says the province’s recent increase in social assistance rates is far from adequate, and some Nova Scotia municipalities are echoing the need for more support for the most vulnerable people in their communities.

The Antigonish Coalition to End Poverty sent a letter to Premier Tim Houston earlier this year expressing concerns that financial support for those living in poverty has fallen well below inflation.

“We’re seeing more and more people being left to live in poverty,” said Lucille Harper, a long-standing member of the coalition.

Harper said the 1.6 per cent increase in the province’s 2026-27 budget, and 3.1 per cent in last year’s fiscal plan, aren’t anywhere close to what’s needed to help people climb out of poverty.

The rate should be increased by 10 per cent every year; otherwise the province isn’t making any difference, she said.