Toronto is a painfully exorbitant city to try and make a life in, and young people now are learning that lesson harder than generations past, facing "disproportionate challenges" than others, according to a new study.

The investigation, which comes from the Toronto Foundation, outlines how poorly the twenty-something age group, in particular, is faring in the city — especially when it comes to basic things like finding and affording housing in what can feel like an impossible market, feeding themselves, and establishing a sense of community and social connectedness.

The organization says that residents in their 20s are floundering both more than twenty-somethings before and more than those  who are 30 and older currently, having a harrowing time "managing the transition from youth to full adulthood" in today's Toronto.

Not young, not old, 20-somethings are an under-studied group. In our new research brief we outline the most pressing challenges and point to the insufficient attention this group has faced in navigating the barriers of coming of age in today’s Toronto: https://t.co/FPF8wwPu0j pic.twitter.com/7q2IYMFmCK

— Toronto Foundation (@TorontoFdn) August 27, 2024

Based on data from assessments like Toronto Capital Surveys and sources like StatCan, the "under-studied group" is more likely stress about housing costs (40 per cent of twentysomething participants vs. 22 per cent of those 30+) and experience food insecurity (six times more twentysomethings used food banks in 2023 than in 2019, vs. an increase of three times for the 30+ age over the same time).

More young people are also identifying as having poor mental health (45 per cent, compared to 33 per cent of those 30 and over) and being lonely (44 per cent versus 31 per cent of people 30+), which the report suggests is in large part a result of excessive screen time since the pandemic years.

To address these latter points, the foundation suggests employers offer more supportive work environments that encourage in-person work and training, have mentoring and networking programs with live interaction, and train higher-ups to acknowledge and better deal with mental health issues in the workplace.

It also recommends that the City invest more in community services and spaces.

"There’s perhaps no more formative time in life than the twenties. Whether in school, training, working or somewhere in between, these are transition years. Important, life-shaping decisions are made, key relationships are established, confidence is built. None of this can happen on screen alone and, in fact, excessive screen time is detrimental," it writes.

"It is our hope that this brief can spark employers, service providers and policymakers to develop targeted approaches to reaching and supporting this group. The issues facing twentysomethings are clear and they are alarming."