New group to fight poverty in Niagara

from St Catharine's Standard

Posted By KARENA WALTER

A team of community members from all economic sectors will be formed to fight poverty in Niagara.

The Poverty to Prosperity Caucus being established by non-profit organization Opportunities Niagara will be action-oriented, executive director Peter Papp said.

"We're not just going to yap about it, we're going to do something about it."

Papp said key people in the community will establish a game plan over the next couple of months, with a caucus coming together in early fall.

The idea follows a call to action issued by the Business Education Council of Niagara in February at its annual partners breakfast. Members from the business, non-profit and education sectors attended the event.

About 150 of the participants signed up indicating they wanted to become involved in poverty reduction initiatives. They included bankers, educators, builders, retirees and others from various areas.

"We want to pull together these people and put together a caucus that doesn't just address the issues of poverty, but looks at some prosperity," Papp said.

That means making sure people get jobs and keep jobs, find affordable housing they can hold onto and get proper education to upgrade their skills, he said.

The caucus will also bring together agencies dealing with poverty issues and give them one collective voice.

"There are lots of people doing this stuff, but it's, 'How do we pool all that into a formidable force?' " Papp said.

"We're not only going to do things, but we're going to shift public and private policy, and that's something communities across Canada have been successful with."

Opportunities Niagara estimates that 14 per cent of Niagara residents live in poverty. It says the poverty rate for children is 15.6 per cent.

Ted Palmer, executive director of the Business Education Council of Niagara, said people want to help, but often don't know how.

Through the partners breakfast and the caucus, he said, the business community is taking ownership of the problem and has an opportunity to be part of the solution.

He said he hopes the caucus will play a strong advocacy role when seeking investments from the provincial and federal governments. It's not just a social problem, it's an economic problem, he said.

"We definitely know there's a problem here, there's no question about it, and don't think there should be. We have an area that's prosperous enough that it should support some initiatives to help people."

Niagara's Poverty to Prosperity Caucus is inspired by similar initiatives in other municipalities, particularly Saint John, N.B.

Now in its fourth year, the Leadership Round Table for Vibrant Communities in the Maritime city brings together partners from government, schools and businesses.

Co-ordinator Wendy MacDermott, speaking from Saint John, said the group has seen tangible results in a community with 24 per cent poverty.

Initially, the team focused on research and learning, and was surprised to discover how concentrated poverty was in certain neighbourhoods. That information has changed how they look at the problem, she said.

As a result, St. John put in sidewalks and green space and redeveloped social housing in specific areas. There are also community police officers in those neighbourhoods.

MacDermott said the most valuable contribution the business interests bring to the table is influence. "A lot of that type of thing, you can't replace that, it's invaluable."

Niagara's caucus will also be looking to educators to be a key part of the solution.

Dan Patterson, president of Niagara College, said the college is integral to the effort because of the skills training it offers.

At the same time the economy is experiencing labour and skills shortages, there are many people in Niagara who are low-skilled, underemployed, unemployed and living in poverty, he said.

"We have to do a better job matching skills shortages and needs, training people for jobs that will make a difference," he said.

The school is also trying to increase scholarships and bursaries so people don't drop out because of financial burden.

By the numbers

Niagara residents living in poverty: 14 per cent

Families living in poverty: 12.7 per cent

Children living in poverty: 15.6 per cent

Families in the workforce making less than $20,000: 15 per cent

The median employment income of Niagara's workforce: $23,400

Population paying greater than 30 per cent of their income on rent: 45.6 per cent

- Source: Opportunities Niagara