A new report by two Winnipeg social agencies profiles the city's working poor and the amount of income they should have to live an adequate lifestyle.

Winnipeg Harvest and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg prepared the report, which looks at how much disposable income is required to cover basic needs as well as "inclusion costs" such as child care, utilities, medical expenses and education-related costs.

"If you're going to live an adequate lifestyle, you need around $50,000 a year," Dennis Lewycky, executive director of the Social Planning Council, said Thursday.

More than a dozen people were consulted for the report, including Cathie Sauve Clarke, who has terminal cancer and lives in a three-bedroom apartment with her daughter and two grandsons.

Her daughter, Shelley Sauve, says she works three part-time jobs and earns less than $30,000 a year. Both of her children have special needs, she added.

"Poor people don't choose the life; there's no way to get around it. You can't afford food if there isn't enough money coming in for anything," Sauve told CBC News from their home.

The two agencies say they plan to submit their report to all levels of government, including First Nations. They're also calling on the public to think about what an acceptable living level should be for all Manitobans.

"As a society, we need to learn from what these voices are and say, 'We need to do the right thing now,'" said David Northcott, the executive director of Winnipeg Harvest.

Winnipeg Harvest says about 45,000 people in the city use the food bank every month. About half of them are children, according to the organization.