Vibrant Communities Canada-Cities Reducing Poverty

imagine...

100 cities connecting to reduce poverty for 1 million Canadians

highlights from 2013 and priorities for 2014 from the Cities Reducing Poverty network

Abbotsford, BC As a collaborative group, Vibrant Abbotsford works with a variety of partners, including all levels of government, social and voluntary organizations, faith-based organizations, local businesses, funders, and the people of Abbotsford. Vibrant Abbotsford focuses on areas that will contribute to moving people from poverty, including: employment and entrepreneurship, housing, education and personal development, financial assets building, social connections, and health. Concentration on these areas allows Vibrant Abbotsford to frame activities in a coordinated, targeted way, with the ultimate goal of building a more vibrant Abbotsford!

2013 highlights Banking on Youth - 74 youth attended Money Skills workshops and have increased knowledge, skills and confidence in financial matters.

Abbotsford Harvest Box - Made fresh, healthy foods more affordable, cut costs of living, and left residents with a greater proportion of disposable incomes. Participants gained selfsufficiency, choice and dignity in meeting food needs. They increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and enjoyed increased access to local foods.

Living Wage Fraser Valley - LWFV is an established group. MoU signed with Living Wage for Families. Member of Tamarack’s Living Wage Community of Practice. One local Living Wage employer (Vancity) certified and publically recognized. Living Wage Fraser Valley 2013 update released and awareness generated during LW calculation release in conjunction with Vancouver and Victoria campaigns.

2014 in action Banking on Youth - Make Financial Literacy education available to additional at-risk youth, those attending alternative schools and youth aged 20-25.

Abbotsford Harvest Box - Open a West Abbotsford distribution site, launch the Abbotsford Bulk Buying Club and more actively integrate community kitchens and skills courses.

Living Wage Fraser Valley - Grow municipal and business support and representation from each Fraser Valley community. Recalculate LW for 2014. Develop a communications strategy.

Actively recruit and certify LW employers.

For more on Vibrant Abbotsford visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/abbotsford

Alberta Action to End Poverty in Alberta aims to create and to help implement a comprehensive plan to prevent, reduce and ultimately end poverty in Alberta.

2013 highlights

2014 in action

Action to End Poverty in Alberta (AEPA) had an exceptionally busy year in 2013. Great steps were made at the provincial and municipal level where social policy and poverty reduction are concerned.

AEPA and Momentum paid close attention to the 2014 throne speech and the provincial budget for an emphasis on social policy and poverty reduction. The government did not invest in poverty reduction despite a strategy expected to be released in 2014.

AEPA participated in the engagement process for both the Alberta Social Policy Framework (SPF) and the province's poverty reduction strategy. The SPF was released in 2013 and the government is currently compiling the feedback for the poverty reduction strategy and is expected to release a ďŹ nal strategy later in 2014.

The budget did announce a billion dollar Social Innovation Endowment that will fund innovative programs in the culture and service sectors. While the capital investment totals one billion the amount that will be available for grants will total 4.5 per cent of the fund.

AEPA, along with its community partner Vibrant Communities Calgary, published Poverty Costs 2.0 which created a blueprint for a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy in Alberta (available online at http://actiontoendpovertyinalberta.org/).

The report contained policy, implementation ideas, and measurement systems to ensure success. We also worked with many municipalities across the province to help to align their own local strategies off the ground.

There are now a total of nine Alberta municipalities pursuing poverty reduction strategies.

The Family & Community Support Services program, which is an 80/20 funding partnership between the province and municipalities for preventive social service programs, did not see an increase in funding.

AEPA will be launching an awareness campaign upon the release of the poverty reduction strategy. We are looking for individuals and organizations to sign-on to the strategy and encourage their local municipality to integrate their own local efforts with the provincial plan.

AEPA and Momentum will be working on the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative and researching many poverty policy topics over the coming year. We are currently ďŹ nalizing a policy brief on payday lending and its impact on vulnerable people.

For more on Alberta visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/province-alberta

Brantford, ON Brantford is a city in southwestern Ontario. It is the seat of Brant County, but is politically separate from the county. The Brant-Brantford Poverty Roundtable on Poverty leads poverty reduction efforts in the community.

2013 highlights

2014 in action

Leadership roundtable and community partners include representatives from the private sector, government, voluntary sector, lived experience, and citizens at large.

The living wage calculation for BrantfordBrant County to be completed by October, 2014. Living Wage Campaign to begin in winter 2014-2015

Mechanism for raising awareness, shifting attitudes, creating knowledge:  Writing and speaking opportunities, including three presentations  Education tools including 32 written updates that included tools provided by Vibrant Communities  Media coverage including articles in local newspapers  Email sendouts/workshops hosted including support MP to ask for higher minimum wage, social service cuts, detox/rehab centre next steps, urge MPP to make poverty reduction a priority, leadership team retreat report, Ontario minimum wage consultation, Provincial consultation on poverty reduction

Making poverty a focus of municipal government candidates' debates. Partnership with Brant News (already confirmed); Media Kits to be developed

Public Events Hosted:  Champions for Prosperity Awards Ceremony Policy Change Initiatives:  Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy consultation (written submission)  Establishment of Living Wage Committee  Establishment of Data Collection Committee

Leadership skills development for people with lived experience. A partnership already developed with Grand River Community Health Centre. Curriculum developed by Niagara Falls Community Health Centre (to be adapted for Brantford's applicability).

Recruitment of prospective participants in the summer 2014 - Training to start in the fall 2014.

Champions for Prosperity Awards Annual Event taking place November, 2014. This public engagement event will recognize those who contribute to poverty reduction with a special focus on children, youth and the private sector.

Collective Impact Workshops training sessions to be provided to the community. The Introduction to Collective Impact took place in February 2014 with follow up June 2014.

Develop coordinated approach to data collection in Brantford.

Central Alberta The Central Alberta Poverty Reduction Alliance supports the efforts of those working to reduce poverty in the Central Alberta region, including the City of Red Deer. The Alliance includes 25 members representing business, government, community agencies, contracted service providers, and the community at large.

Community priorities        

Define and creatively show the face of poverty in Red Deer Multi-sectoral recruitment Research and publish Red Deer and Central Alberta's living wage Convene a conversation on affordable transportation Complete an environmental scan on financial literacy Examine existing employment services Address social isolation Enhance and sustain existing literacy programs

How is CAPRA involved in regional activites?

Strategies for reducing poverty need to be specific to the needs in individual communities. CAPRA has approached Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) workers and town or city councils to open a discussion about poverty and its impact on their community.

How does poverty reduction benefit me?

About 400,000 Albertans including 91,000 children live in poverty. It is very likely that your neighbour or child's classmate may not be getting the nutritional, educational, social and emotional opportunities they need to lead a happy and rewarding life.  Red Deer has the highest percentage of lone parent families at 19.9 per cent (provincial average is 16.2 per cent and national average 17.9 per cent) in Alberta with 38 per cent being low income.  While poverty in rural communities declined between 1981 (16.2 per cent) and 2001 (13.5 per cent) impoverished rural women have fewer options for further education and training and may be isolated by community dynamics, geographical distance and/or lack of transportation.  Poverty costs you money. Between $7.1 - 9.5 billion is spent every year in Alberta to manage the symptoms of poverty such as higher health care and justice costs and the lost opportunity cost of a poorly trained and unproductive workforce.  It is estimated that a comprehensive human resource development system that would eliminate child poverty in 5 years and all poverty in 10 would cost less than half that amount at around $4.5 billion per year For more on CAPRA visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/red-deer

Chatham-Kent, ON Chatham-Kent (2011 population 103,671) is a single-tier municipality in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Mostly rural, its centres of population are Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wallaceburg. The current Municipality of Chatham-Kent was created in 1998 by the merger of Kent County and its municipalities.

2013 highlights By 2013, the Chatham-Kent Prosperity Roundtable membership represents 50 local organizations which include 79 total members, 25 of which were new members within the June 2012 – June 2013 calendar year. The Prosperity Roundtable membership includes representatives from Chatham Kent sectors that make up the Advisory Committee:  Community - 7 members  Business - 11 members  Not-For-Profit - 32 members  Government - 35 members  Nine members make up the Prosperity Roundtable Steering Committee.

The completion of the Community Food System Assessment for Chatham-Kent resulted in the successful development of the ChathamKent Food Policy Council and its website. The new website links the community to food security programs, as well as other information and events in the community related to food.

In December, 2013, Chatham-Kent Municipal Council passed a motion to sign and endorse the Cities Reducing Poverty Charter.

Community partners of the Prosperity Roundtable hosted 14 new programs, activities or events that reached over 1,200 people.

2014 in action Increase understanding and awareness of poverty and mobilize the community to respond by hosting events, getting media coverage, distributing literature, using social media, etc.

Breaking Barriers Through Art initiative seeks to create an understanding of lived experiences.

This project highlights the talents and resilience of people in our community and raises awareness about community issues and sparks dialogue to challenge stereotypes. The exhibition demonstrates that everyone belongs in the community and everyone has something valuable that they bring.

The Community Volunteer Placements initiative seeks to bring individuals with experiential knowledge to decision making and planning bodies. Individuals are engaged through community events and partnerships with organizations. Individuals are introduced to the roundtable by providing an orientation process and on-going supervision utilizing an empowerment and social justice perspective.

Working on developing a living wage calculation for Chatham-Kent.

For more on Chatham-Kent visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/chatham-kent

Grande Prairie, AB Grande Prairie is a city in northwest Alberta within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country.

Grande Prairie is the seventh-largest city in Alberta with a population 55,032 recorded by the 2011 Census, and was one of Canada's fastest growing cities between 2001 and 2006. It is the largest city between Edmonton and Fairbanks, Alaska. The Grande Prairie Poverty Reduction Roundtable leads poverty reduction efforts in the community.

2013 highlights Released Grande Prairie’s Living Wage Report Members of Community Action to End Poverty Grande Prairie took part in a two-day planning retreat More than 80 people attended a community consultation on Alberta’s Poverty Reduction Strategy hosted by the City of Grande Prairie in partnership with the Province of Alberta A partnership between the City of Grande Prairie, United Way Alberta North West, Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta, United Way Alberta Capital Region, and the Province of Alberta, brought the United Way Poverty Simulation to Grande Prairie

2014 in action Narrowing the Gap is a pilot project funded by Northwest Alberta Child and Family Services, to engage female lone parent families to prevent issues surrounding poverty, such as child maltreatment

For more on Grande Prairie visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/grande-prairie

Halton Region, ON A Halton Poverty Roundtable on has been formed to raise awareness about poverty and create an action plan to reduce it. Bringing together leaders from government/public sector, business/labour, the voluntary/community sector and people who live in poverty, the multi-sector group takes a broader, yet common approach to raise the issue and find solutions.

Key initiatives Halton Sport Leadership Program - The HSLP is a sport education program that provides low-income youth the empowering opportunity to gain confidence, leadership and experience through free training in nationally recognized certification programs in a variety of sports.

Affordable Housing in Halton - The HPRT is working with other community stakeholders to advance awareness of and effective solutions for affordable housing across Halton. Our goal is to support growing community and government action to address local needs for affordable housing.

Building Awareness and Reducing Stigma - Our goal is to provide the community with a clearer understanding of the challenges of poverty and the economic benefits of tackling poverty together.

Through articles in local media and convening community events, the HPRT aims to raise awareness and engagement of residents to the need to take action to reduce poverty & inequity in our communities.

Canada Learning Bond - The Canada Learning Bond is a federal program in which the Government of Canada contributes to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). The HPRT has convened community partners around an initiative to increase the number of low income families enrolling in the Canada Learning Bond program from the current take up rate of 4,987 children (28 per cent).

Halton Living Wage Campaign - The Halton Living Wage working group is a close collaboration between Community Development Halton, the Halton Poverty Roundtable, and Poverty Free Halton. The goal of the group is to advance the Halton community's understanding of issues related to Living Wage in the Halton Region.

Business Engagement - We are developing a "Business Advisory Council" that will allow the Roundtable to engage the business community in deeper conversations on poverty and create avenues for businesses in Halton to be engaged in poverty reduction.

Food Security - The Community Food Collaborative (CFC) is a working group of the Halton Food Council. The CFC works to enhance community capacity for food programs by acting as a catalyst for partnerships and learning opportunities. HPRT representatives participate on this working group as well as providing backbone support.

Influence Policy - The HPRT is working to influence the public policy agenda on issues affecting low income families and individuals.

For more on Halton visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/halton-region

Leeds & Grenville, ON The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is an Ontario community made up of 10 municipalities and three partner communities (Gananoque, Brockville and Prescott) over a large geographical area. Along one of our borders is the St. Lawrence River and the famous 1000 Islands Region. We're home to world-renowned UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) sites of significance: the Rideau Canal and Heritage Route and the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve.

Leeds and Grenville is currently in the initial stages of the development of a poverty reduction round table. What began as a casual conversation amongst three community partner agencies ( United Counties , Leeds Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit and United Way ) has led to a community coming together to embark on a vision of the possibilities to reduce poverty for our citizens.

2013 highlights Hosted a Bridges out of Poverty events in which 300 people attended.

United Counties , Leeds Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit and United Way facilitated a day with the local MPP to provide feedback for the Ontario Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, which saw a large turn out of people who talked about how they want to create meaningful change in the community. All three agencies recognized there was much happening in the community, but also recognized the need to work together more intentionally and collaboratively.

Committed partners from the Upper Canada District School Board, The Catholic School Board of Eastern Ontario, Adult and Children's Mental Health, Family and Children Services, Every Kid in our Community (community planning table) transportation working group and Community Care Access Centre.

2014 in action Joined the Vibrant Communities Canada-Cities Reducing Poverty network. Recognized the knowledge and support of those who had journeyed ahead of us would be invaluable to our success.

Short term goals are to invite additional people to the table (particularly the business community and people with lived experience), develop our terms of reference and roles of members of the roundtable and a theory of change with priorities and goals for our community.

Although we know that this journey will not be easy, we are confident that by working together we can create meaningful change that will build stronger communities for all.

For more on Leeds & Grenville visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/leeds-and-grenville

London, ON The Ending Poverty Implementation Team is one of the four priority areas addressed by London’s Child & Youth Network (CYN). Established in 2007, CYN is made up of 170 cross-sector organizations, all working toward the collective vision of ensuring ‘happy, healthy children today, caring responsible adults tomorrow.’ Other priority areas include literacy, healthy eating/healthy physical activity and working toward a family-centred service system.

Awareness & Engagement  The Awareness working group is committed to shifting attitudes towards poverty by educating those

who may not understand full complexity of the issue.

Helping to plan day-long Bridges out of Poverty learning experiences for community members from across sectors.  The group is the local planning committee for a province-wide poverty simulation happening fall 2014. 

Reduce the impact and make day-to-day life better 

The Basic Needs working group planning food provider’s forum in 2014 to share best practices and build connections.  Food Families pilot project aims to bring local people together who can share ideas, resources, gain knowledge on topics such as cooking, canning, gardening, and meal planning, etc.  Harvest Bucks, in partnership with Middlesex-London Health Unit, distributes vouchers for use at local markets to purchase fresh produce. In 2013, $8,000 worth of Harvest Bucks were distributed.  Focus on supporting the implementation of London’s Community Housing Strategy as well as the work of the London Homeless Coalition by endorsing activities such as the push for a raise to Ontario Works payments for single adults.

Breaking the Cycle 

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The wraparound project aims to break the cycle for youth at risk of generational poverty by encouraging community partners to build sustainable support networks. A pilot project at Glen Cairn Public School was highly successful in engaging youth, improving academic outcomes, and building strong community connections.

The income security group submitted recommendations to the Minimum Wage Advisory Panel.

Facilitated two community conversations to develop London’s response to the Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategy review.

Focus of the income security group for 2014 is precarious employment for youth in London.

Matched Savings and Microloans framework was developed to help people gain and sustain assets and supported 25 participants in establishing education savings accounts and 13 small businesses in acquiring loans.

RealVoice aims to positively engage youth through photography and film. The project has shown to successfully engage youth, create meaningful opportunities for youth leadership, and strengthen partnerships between young people and their communities.

For more on CAPRA visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/london

Niagara Region, ON The Niagara Prosperity Initiative (NPI) was established by Niagara Region in 2008, and provides for an annual investment of $1.5 million to support poverty reduction and prevention activities. An advisory committee guides investment decisions and works to leverage additional community resources. The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network (NPRN) is a group of social agencies, educators, business and government representatives, faith communities and individuals that envisions all Niagara residents living above the poverty line. The network works to dispel myths about living in poverty, improve collaboration and actions in poverty reduction efforts by all stakeholders, and engage and include all individuals in the community.

2013 highlights During the past 5 years, 229 projects delivered by more than 60 community agencies have been funded by Niagara Region through the NPI. In 2013, NPI invested over $1.4 M towards 46 projects across the Niagara Region.

2014 in action A Request for Proposals is currently open for 2014. One of our priorities for 2014 is to update the Niagara Neighbourhood Mapping Tool.

In 2014, NPRN will increase the number of presentations delivered across Niagara to various groups.

The NPRN Wipe Out Poverty in Niagara media launch on May 22, 2013. Developed “Wipe Out Poverty in Niagara” communication tools: (logo, website, social media, fact sheets and “Four Things we Know about Poverty” presentation).

Create policy statements for use on websites and as part of communication and media strategy.

Established a speakers bureau, trained speakers and created a pre and post survey tool.

Increase social media presence and prepare blog topic list in alignment with calendar of events.

Delivered “Putting the Pieces Together” and “Rowing The Boat Together” initiatives to bring people and agencies together to develop a fluid system of Niagara-wide inter-agency collaboration focused on person-centered service delivery for client success.

Develop a voter engagement strategy.

Wrote letters to Provincial and Regional government about termination of Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit, Housing Stability Plan and Social Assistance Review.

Host advocacy workshop to educate individuals and agencies on how to advocate more effectively.

Develop an impact assessment tool for Advocacy work and a matrix to evaluate internal and external NPRN activities Develop a plan to incorporate Client Service Standards model across Niagara

Began developing a community volunteer income tax preparation system.

For more on NPI visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/niagara-region

Iqaluit, NU Nunavut is the largest territory in Canada with an area of 2,093,190 square kilometers. The population is 33,330, whom around 85 percent are native peoples, primarily Inuit. The province’s economy is historically based on the harvesting traditions of its Inuit, who continue to maintain strong ties to the land. Nunavut is known worldwide for its exceptional carvings, prints, and tapestries. The arts & crafts sector contributes $33 million to the territory’s economy annually. Other economic activities include: mining, tourism, fishing, hunting and trapping. Nunavut is governed by a Legislative Assembly of 19 elected members. The members choose a government leader, speaker of the house and eight ministers by consensus.

2014 in action Iqaluit City Council unanimously adopted the Iqaluit Sustainable Community Plan on Jan. 28, 2014. This is our first sustainable community plan. It is a crowd-sourced plan, with over 700 people actively weighing in on our sustainable future. It's been well-received in our community.

The Sustainable Community Plan was honoured by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with a 2014 Sustainable Community Award at their national conference this past February. It's great to be recognized nationally as a leader, and to have so many other cities express interest and appreciation for our care, creativity and perseverance in facing our unique challenges.

The five-year Action Plan has 19 themes framed around our relationships to our environment, to social and family well-being, and to a productive society. Target areas in our Action Plan for reducing poverty and increasing community vibrancy:  Healthy families  Active outdoors  Support strong Inuit identity  Promote personal wellbeing  Food for everyone  Housing for everyone  Connect our community  Everybody contributing  Lifelong learning  Achieve our economic potential.

Throughout the process of developing this community plan, we've emphasized relationships, deep listening, active response, alignment, and cooperation. Our sustainability is about people; it's up to each of us, working together, to create a better long-term future.

For more on Nunavut visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/territory-nunavut

Peterborough, ON The Network is made up of more than 60 agencies and dozens of individuals working together to reduce poverty in Peterborough City and County since December, 2006. Members come together under a common vision and principles in seven work groups and two guiding committees to make lives better for people living in our community.

2013 highlights

2014 in action

Received a three-year Trillium Grant, enabling PPRN to hire two staff.

Drafting the Strategic Plan for Poverty Reduction.

Successfully received funding through the Youth Employment fund to hire a Research Coordinator.

Moving forward with the Financial Sustainability Working Group to ensure PPRN can remain ďŹ nancially viable beyond the scope of the Trillium Grant.

Purchased Mount St. Joseph property, former home of the Sisters of St. Joseph, intent to create a self-sustaining village in the city - a community hub with housing, food programs, recreation and more. The Mount Community Centre has become its own charitable entity, with a separate governing body.

Working collaboratively across agency silos to address the immediate needs of people living in poverty, while simultaneously working towards longer term, sustainable change by facilitating opportunities to develop social capital in low income neighbourhoods.

Conducted a study about the impacts of funding cuts to programs that provide housing stability assistance in Peterborough. Used ďŹ ndings to create a report and to educate City Council and other community members about the value of investing in the housing stability fund.

Building partnerships with nine Community Hubs, facilitating a network between these partners in order to better connect organizations and agencies involved in this work, to provide a forum to share best practices, create spaces for collaboration and develop shared resources

Presentations to existing and potential partners including Fleming College and the Employment Network Group.

Co-facilitating a storytelling project to generate awareness and understanding about housing instability in Peterborough.

Gathering data about indicators of well-being across the community to see how the cuts to housing stability fund are impacting low income people.

For more on PPRN visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/peterborough

Prince Edward Island The Women’s Network of Prince Edward Island works to ensure that everyone on PEI can live with dignity and have his or her basic needs met. The organization has representatives on various poverty reduction and community capacity building committees such as the PEI Working Group for a Livable Income, PEI Food Security Network, PEI Literacy Alliance, Justice Options for Women, and the PEI Non-Profit Sector Council. In March 2012 WNPEI began Paths to Prosperity: A Community Response to Poverty project.

2013 highlights Conducted Island-wide community conversations, key-stakeholder interviews, and an online survey to gather data.

Produced a Community Voices report and a summary report. Shared the report at five community feedback sessions.

Produced a summary document of community recommendations. Shared our research with government and community.

2014 in action Build support within the community for a poverty reduction strategy.

Continue to identify internal champions and forge alliances and partnerships, support our coresearchers by providing skills-building workshops.

Expand our work at the Provincial Correctional Centre and the Farm Centre.

Help advance the work of our partners - PEI Food Security Network and WGLI. Support and provide training and opportunities for women living in low-income to have their voices heard Advocate for recommendations made by community.

For more on PEI visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/province-prince-edward-island

Quebec Reseau Quebecois de Revitalisation Integree (RQRI) is a network that brings together revitalization strategies from all across Quebec, urban as well as rural. It is a network centred on integrated revitalization. It is a newtwork to exchange best practices, promote initiatives and work in public policy.

What is integrated revitalization?

Integrated revitalization is an approach that is inclusive, territorial, global, intersectorial, participative, sustainable, and professional. RQRI’s objective is to improve the quality of life of all citizens through local development that is centred on intersectorial cooperation and citizen engagement.

Examples of RQRI’s work Bi-annual conferences on policy, practice and innovation Annual seminars on sectorial issues such as housing and food security Research comparing the varying approaches and practices across the province Collaboration with Vibrant Communities Canada and the Cities Reducing Poverty community 2014 objectives include hosting bi-annual conference, increase of membership by 20 percent, and acquiring new funding

For more on RQRI visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/rqri

Revelstoke, BC Revelstoke is a small community of less than 8,000 residents, nestled in the heart of the Columbia Mountains in British Columbia. Bordered by the Columbia River and national parks, the landscape is dramatic. There is a diverse economic base, with transportation (both rail & highway), forestry, and tourism being significant contributors.

2013 highlights The Revelstoke Community Housing Society (RCHS) received funding from BC Housing/CBT Affordable Housing Partnership to develop subsidized rental housing units for low-income residents of all ages. The City of Revelstoke is providing the land in-kind.

Completion targeted for December 2014.

The City of Revelstoke received funding (from Real Estate Association of BC) to complete a Food Security Strategy, guided by a steering committee made up of key stakeholders. Target for completion is October 2014. This project will include asset mapping of current initiatives as well as arable lands and a plan for moving forward.

In 2012, the Revelstoke Child Care Society (RCCS) completed a needs assessment. Since, the RCCS has been successful in increasing the number of child care spaces in the community, as well as extending hours of operation by 1 hr. per day. This has significantly reduced wait lists community-wide almost to zero.

The Revelstoke Early Childhood Development Committee in partnership with Community Connections Society, initiated a new program Reaching Out to Community Kids – Community Connections social workers work with families and children who are having difficulty with school and preschool attendance, providing one on one capacity-building and transportation.

2014 in action Revelstoke Poverty Reduction Strategy (June 2012) - a comprehensive look at poverty and affordability in Revelstoke and Action Plan (October 2014) Poverty Reduction Working Group is working to track progress on local poverty reduction initiatives, dialogue on how to move forward on recommended actions, develop community partnerships and apply for project and program-based funding when available.

In February 2014, the City of Revelstoke Social Development Committee, in partnership with the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy, received funding to do a Financial Literacy project.

In February 2014, RCHS received funding through the Columbia Basin Trust Social Grants Program to complete an Emergency Shelter Feasibility Plan.

Revelstoke Food Charter was developed by a grassroots collaborative. endorsed by Revelstoke City Council in February 2014.

The City of Revelstoke is exploring ways to improve communication and decrease stigma about accessing its Core Program – this program enables low income individuals and families free access to the Arena and Aquatic Centre, and 50% off all city-run Parks and Recreation programs, including the preschool.

Saskatoon, SK The Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership (SPRP) formed in 2010 to address poverty in Saskatoon using a collaborative approach. The partnership has evolved from a long history of community collaboration and a clear commitment to a multi-sectoral and sustainable efforts to reduce poverty in Saskatoon that is focussed on a common vision.

2013 highlights SPRP hired a Community Partnership Facilitator to manage the collaborative growth of the partnership.

The Business Engagement Action Group is investigating an online social enterprise tool to improve communications, create opportunities to share best practices, to develop understanding about poverty issues and determine how they impact business growth (ROI). SPRP is working to build capacity to address a spectrum of actions associated with poverty reduction, to create systems that encourage and empower people.

SPRP is committed to outcome based assessment and works in consultation with the CommunityView Collaboration (www.communityview.ca) The foundation of the SPRP work is built around 3 key elements:  to act as a catalyst to re-orient organizations/services and policies to address poverty  to build awareness and re-sponse to poverty  to collaborate across sectors with strategic vision, plan and language.

2014 in action In March, the Building Awareness Action Group launched a ‘Poverty Costs’ Campaign.

The campaign highlights the impact poverty has on everyone and calls for a comprehensive poverty reduction plan for the Province of Saskatchewan. Poverty is estimated to cost the Saskatchewan economy totals $3.8 billion a year, or almost $4,000 for every man, woman and child living in the province.

In June, SPRP will be engaged in a strategic planning process to develop the 2014-15 work plan and associated evaluations, and to identify emerging issues that are critical to a developing a comprehensive poverty reduction plan for Saskatchewan.

SPRP members continue to support and participate in the Plan To End Homelessness and Housing First Initiatives.

The SPRP is working to improve internal and external communication strategies.

SPRP Strategic Focus of Actions Groups include:  Business community engagement  Faith-based community engagement  USask policy engagement  Essential (First) voice engagement  Building awareness and community action  First Nations and Metis community engagement

For more on Saskatoon visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/saskatoon

Simcoe County, ON County of Simcoe is located north of Toronto and features 16 member municipalities, two separated cities, significant First Nations, Metis and Inuit community, and emerging diversity with a growing number of newcomers moving to the area. Simcoe identified the implementation of a poverty reduction strategy as a key priority within its 10-year Corporate strategic plan. The County has dedicated staff and fiscal resources to the poverty reduction effort and has agreed to assume the Backbone Organization role in this phase of the strategy's development.

Key initiatives We participated in the Innoweave Collective Impact workshop in September and look forward to the second workshop once we have involved more partners in the process Working with key stakeholders to develop the Poverty Reduction Task Force - comprehensive approach, collective impact model, data driven.

Currently membership includes the Simcoe County Allliance to End Homelessness, Simcoe County District School Board, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and the United Way of Greater Simcoe County.

Spring 2014 spent engaging individuals with lived experience in a consultation process to learn more about the local experience of poverty, to capture individual narratives and generate a list of potential participants for the Lived Experience Advisory Group.

Held a broad cross-sector training opportunity on Results-Based Accountability with Mark Friedman in support of a common evaluation framework for the strategy.

Our Coalition of child, youth and family services has endorsed the need to develop a common evaluation framework and will participate in RBA training event.

We have engaged Liz Weaver to facilitate a large, multi-sector, collective impact launch event in September 2014 when we will identify key priority areas for local action.

Have enjoyed considerable community engagement in the Bridges out of Poverty material including 60 trained facilitators from public health, education and municipal sectors.

The County has also engaged in collective impact work over the last year to develop a local Food Charter.

For more on Simcoe visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/simcoe-county

Thunder Bay, ON Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, ON. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario with a population of 108,359, and the largest city on Lake Superior on either the Canadian or American side. The city is often referred to as the "Lakehead" or "Canadian Lakehead" because of its location at the end of Great Lakes navigation.

2013 highlights In late 2012, the Lakehead Social Planning Council (LSPC) partnered with the City of Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB), and the Poverty Free Thunder Bay group to begin researching and compiling a communitywide poverty reduction strategy.

Four areas of focus were selected that best represented the concerns of the community:  Housing  Income and Community Economic Development  Infrastructure  Inclusion and Engagement.

Within each pillar are commitments which represent immediate, medium and long-term plans of action for poverty reduction, as well as advocacy recommendations for higher orders of government. The recommendations are to be implemented by the City of Thunder Bay, City Council, social service agencies, and the community at-large. This initial phase of data gathering and report writing was completed in October 2013 with Building a Better Thunder Bay for All: A Community Action Strategy to Reduce Poverty.

Thunder Bay City Council unanimously approved the report and recommendations on Nov. 25, 2013, and committed to three years of funding to move forward with the second phase of the project.

2014 in action Building a Better Thunder Bay for All was also approves by TBDSSAB in February 2014 with a matching funding commitment. As a result of the funding partnership with TBDSSAB, the LSPC will expand the scope of the findings to include the entire District of Thunder Bay, beyond the Thunder Bay Census Metropolitan Area. One of our key deliverables will be the production of an annual report card to track our progress.

With the adoption of the report by City Council, the project management team was offered an ongoing opportunity to present to members of the City of Thunder Bay InterGovernmental Affairs Committee (IGAC); a committee that includes the Mayor of Thunder Bay, City Councillors and City administration tasked with communicating with provincial and federal ministries.

With the Strategy now in the implementation stage, the LSPC will continue to seek opportunities to partner with community agencies and community groups address the recommendations outlined in the report. Along with examining the possibilities of launching a participatory budgeting pilot, in the coming months we will initiate projects like preparing a living wage calculation specific to the City and District and look at cooperatives and social enterprises as models for community economic development.

For more on Thunder Bay visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/thunder-bay

Waterloo, ON The Region of Waterloo administers and/or funds over 60 programs and services that directly contribute to poverty reduction. In 2011, the region committed to a bold strategic initiative to develop and implement a corporate-wide comprehensive approach to poverty reduction. This means starting ‘at home’ by identifying actions the corporation can take to effect change or improve programs.

2013 highlights In December 2012, regional council approved the Region’s Comprehensive Approach to Poverty Reduction (CAPR) involving six priority areas and 21 actions:  A CAPR Leadership Team was established with corporate-wide representation of senior level staff from six departments, the CAO’s office, Waterloo Regional Police Services and the Crime Prevention Council.  A communication plan was developed and implemented to share key messages about CAPR and utilize a variety of regional communication channels to raise awareness about poverty.  Poverty Myth Busters for Waterloo Region and a companion facilitation guide were developed to help change attitudes and actions about poverty.  Stories were shared to demonstrate how staff across the corporation address poverty in their jobs each day and underscored the important contributions being made outside the social services department.  A community forum was hosted on the topic of poverty and precarious employment with over 170 attendees including regional staff, community stakeholders and people with lived experience.  Inclusive Language Guidelines were developed and shared across the corporation to encourage language that is unbiased and respectful of poverty and diversity.  Formal links were established with other regional initiatives including the region’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, Citizen Service Strategy, and Children’s Planning Table.  The region was awarded $10,000 from an Innoweave Developmental Evaluation Implementation Grant to build knowledge and learning from the implementation of CAPR.  The region joined the Vibrant Communities Canada - Cities Reducing Poverty initiative.

2014 in action Innovation Hubs on topics of Affordable Housing and Affordable Public Transportation are being launched to encourage innovative, coolaborative and creative thinking and provide opportunities for testing new ideas.

Results from a corporate-wide Eligibility Survey are being analyzed to better understand how eligibility is established in programs across the region and identify opportunities to make better use of resources linked to supporting people living with low income.

The region is working toward a shared mesasurement approach and developing a set of poverty indicators which align with the province’s poverty indicators.

For more on the Region of Waterloo visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/region-waterloo

Windsor, ON Pathway to Potential is a community-based collaborative strategy for reducing poverty and ensuring social and economic well-being for the residents of Windsor and Essex County. We believe poverty results from barriers to social and economic resources that prevent well-being and access to opportunities in the community.

2013 highlights in 2013, the City of Windsor and County of Essex invested nearly 1.9 million dollars into poverty reduction.

Priority areas include income supports, health, literacy and lifelong learning, collaboration, awareness and advocacy.

Pathway to Potential piloted a successful food security initiative, Market Dollar, in downtown Windsor with partners Food Matters Windsor Essex County and the Downtown Windsor Farmer’s Market. The program provided low income families and individuals with opportunities to purchase nutritious food.

10,620 market dollars were distributed over the season.

Hosted a two-hour community conversation to gather public input on transportation barriers and solutions for residents of Windsor-Essex.

Pathway to Potential’s Adam Vasey was selected to sit on Ontario’s Minimum Wage Advisory Panel.

2014 in action Launch a Social Determinants of Health working group.

Release a Working Poor report for WindsorEssex.

Welcome a Tamarack-An Institute for Community Engagement to Windsor for a learning opportunity on Collective Impact.

Conduct a community survey with third party funding to poll residents on priorities in our community.

Launch a Living Wage Campaign aimed at recognizing private businesses in WindsorEssex who pay a living wage and recruiting others to increase their hourly wage and become a Living Wage employer.

Launch phase two of the Market Dollar program.

Partner with Enactus to launch Windsor SOUP, a microgranting program.

For more on Windsor visit http://vibrantcanada.ca/users/windsor