Social council could reduce poverty: work session

from Northumberland Today

Posted By Valerie MacDonald

A social planning or community council is needed to oversee initiatives ranging from skills development and income security to housing and food, if poverty is to be reduced in Northumberland, a day-long anti-poverty work session found Friday.

It was 20 years ago Friday that meeting facilitator and former MP Christine Stewart said she had attended a poverty meeting with well-known, local anti-poverty activist Deb O'Connor. Not enough has been accomplished since then, she told people filling tables at the Columbus Community Centre in Cobourg.

"Poor children in Northumberland are our children, Poor families in Northumberland are our families . . . and their poverty is our poverty."

Mrs. Stewart, along with other leaders for the day, expressed hope that newfound, anti-poverty momentum at both the grass roots and provincial levels, would result in a poverty reduction plan that could attract funding and become a best-practices model.

During three individual, round-table work sessions, community members from all sectors grappled with the intricacies that have kept people in poverty. By day's end they came up with initiatives that will be become the basis of an action plan. When compiled it will be posted on the Northumberland Legal Centre's Web site, they were told.

The day began with some unsettling statistics to set the framework for discussions:

one in six families live in poverty in the county;

22 per cent of people on Ontario Works and disability incomes have no vehicle but many live in the rural areas of Northumberland;

10,000 children rely on the Milk for Moms milk coupons;

last year 365,500 pounds of food was distributed to those in need in the county;

accessing food is a concern for 15 per cent of local families;

4,000 families with children live in poverty in Northumberland; and an average bachelor apartment requires an hourly wage of $13.90, significantly higher than Ontario's recently raised minimum wage of $8.75.

In the day-end reports that came from the participating groups, strong themes for action emerged. They included:

building on programs to provide public transportation across Northumberland such as Pickuppal.com ; Community Care (for seniors and disabled at 30 cents per kilometre); expansion of public transit using provincial gas tax revenue; possibly using the new Golden Plough Lodge van;

creating an "attitude shift," educating people about the root causes of poverty and breaking myths that they have brought it on themselves or are lazy;

using newspapers to regularly put poverty reduction messages to the public, plus hold poverty action days at high schools;

disseminating program information to help the poor throughout a wide network, including skills training and EI programs to create small business opportunities;

"legitimize" having borders in homes; ensure mixed housing opportunities in subdivisions; and obtaining money to put an action plan into effect.

"Instead of silos, (we must) work in co-operation," said Cathy Lyons of Northumberland Habitat for Humanity.

"A social development planning body or council," agreed John Hayden of Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation. This would improve the overall impact of agencies dealing with poor people's problems.

"We all have a responsibility to do something," Mrs. Stewart said. The poor are an untapped resource that the community will benefit from helping.

"You've come through in spades," Ms. O'Connor said at the end of the day. "I hope you stick with this. This is just the beginning."

Asked when the action plan would be compiled from the participants of the Northumberland Poverty Reduction Action Committee and members of the public, Ms. O'Connor said it would be done as quickly as possible and posted on the Web. When it is completed, this newspaper will be notified and a story will outline its main points.

From the beginning to the end of the day, speaker after speaker said the overall goal is to make poverty a "top of mind issue across the province."

Among others participating during the day were the mayors of most of Northumberland County's member municipalities, local MPP Lou Rinaldi, the Northumberland Community Legal Centre, Northumberland United Way, Northumberland County Community and Social Services, Northumberland Child Development Centre, Northumberland Coalition Against Poverty, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, The Help Centre, Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation, Northumberland Labour Council, Fleming College, Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health United and Northumberland Habitat for Humanity.