‘I did not expect us to be where we are now’: Full-time work is no longer enough to stay housed in Fredericton
- Suzanne Shah
- Feb 2
- 3 min read
Alex MacLean realized something had shifted when a routine grocery trip in Fredericton cost around $150.
“I did not expect us to be where we are now,” he said.
MacLean works full-time as a cleaner at St. Thomas University. For years, steady employment meant stability. Rent was manageable, groceries were predictable and budgeting felt routine. That sense of security has slowly disappeared.
“If I keep living like this,” he said, “I may be looking at a cardboard box one day.”
The fear surrounding housing stability is new for him.
“I do worry about stability from time to time — for the first time in 27 years.”
MacLean’s experience reflects a broader shift in Fredericton, where the cost of living has increased faster than wages, narrowing the margin for people working full-time.
According to the Human Development Council, the living wage in Fredericton for 2025 is just over $26 an hour — a level many full-time service jobs do not meet.
Heather Atchison, a social researcher who co-authored the council’s living wage report, said the gap between wages and basic costs leaves workers with little room to absorb rising prices.
“When earnings do not meet the cost of living, it puts people at risk of housing instability,” she said.
Atchison said the living wage calculation assumes a modest standard of living and does not include debt payments or major emergencies.
“People working full-time still struggle to cover essentials when prices rise faster than wages,” she said.
For MacLean, the gap shows up at the end of every month. He earns a little over $2,000 after deductions. After rent and bills, what remains is limited.
“I’m left with maybe a quarter of my paycheque by the end of it.”
That remaining amount has to cover food, transportation and anything unexpected.
“You cut back where you can, but life keeps getting more expensive.”
He said the pressure did not come from one dramatic bill, but from a series of increases that never reversed. The cost of chicken, gas and rent rose on different timelines, compounding month after month.
“It didn't get any cheaper whatsoever,” he said. As he realized things weren’t going well.
The rising cost of groceries was the moment he realized full-time work no longer covered the basics.
“It was a grocery trip about three years ago … about $150. That's when I realized things have gotten out of hand.”
Before that, his budget felt stable.
“Used to be, $100 would get me through the week.”
Instead, prices continued to climb.
“It was going to [be] $250 again the next week when it didn't get any cheaper.”
People working on the front lines of homelessness prevention say MacLean’s situation is becoming more common.
Max Goodine, who works on a homelessness outreach van in Fredericton, said many people are still technically housed, but barely.
“They are technically in a room, but they cannot afford groceries and they’re skipping meals to make rent.”
For MacLean, even a small increase could tip the balance. If his rent rose, food would be the first thing to go.
“The first thing I'd have to give up … probably various groceries like chicken breasts … that's extremely horribly priced.”
He sees the same pressure in people around him.
“One of my co-workers works multiple jobs just to keep things going.”
Many people appear stable until one change pushes them over the edge, he said.
“And for people in Fredericton, we probably are one wage away from homelessness with the crisis in rent,” said MacLean.
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