Waterloo Region Combats Poverty
Opportunities Waterloo Region Creating Bold Solutions Initiatives
Almost 1 child in 5 lives in poverty and 47,450 people in the Waterloo Region live in poverty. Opportunities is a community organization for poverty initiatives.
At Opportunities Waterloo Region they are working on several initiatives to find solutions to combat poverty in the Waterloo Region (Southern Ontario, Canada).Their belief is that poverty is a complex problem that needs a long-term solution and not just a quick fix that tends to be temporary.
- Opportunities Waterloo Region’s mission is to ignite community action and leadership to create bold solutions that reduce and prevent poverty through collaboration, advocacy and education.
- Although Waterloo Region has one of the second lowest poverty rates in the country according to Statistics Canada, almost 1 child in 5 lives in poverty and 47,450 people in the region live in poverty. Waterloo Region has one of the highest rates in the country for charitable donations and is known for their high tech industries and skilled labor forces, but many working families still do not make enough to be able to make ends meet.
- Opportunities Waterloo Region estimates a sustainable income starts at $13.17 an hour, which is nowhere near the present minimum wage of $8.00 an hour. The poverty line for a single person in the Region of Waterloo is $17,515, but a person working full time at minimum wage makes only $14,900. (Stats from A Living Wage in Waterloo Region, 2003) At least 4,000 families are presently on waiting lists for affordable housing.
These are some of the initiatives Opportunities Waterloo Region have been working on to combat poverty:
Working Poor. They make up about 10% of the population and with the present low wages compared to the cost of living people have learned to live with less. Opportunities staff have extensively researched the issue and have had numerous meetings. In October 2003, Working People’s Coalition was formed to help develop the initiative. There is an upcoming event in partnership with the Law Commission of Canada to provide a community forum on law reform for vulnerable workers.
YES (Youth Poverty Prevention) has been a successful initiative that reduces school dropouts and increases graduation rates which increases employment prospects. The program ran in the Mill-Courtland neighborhood, which was chosen because 23% of people living there experience poverty. Participants start in grade 7 and ideally continue until they graduate. The goal of the program is to reach 100 youth over 4 years by offering support by mentoring, tutoring, advocacy and financial support in the form of scholarships and other education incentives. The Ontario Trillium Foundation provides funding for this initiative and the grant is processed through the Catholic Family Counseling Centre. Since this program has been such a success Opportunities is focusing on replicating it in other neighborhoods.
SPP (Social Purchasing Portal) is a web-based application collaborating with business, government and community members as a hub for purchasers, suppliers and employment service providers and seekers. Besides being beneficial for businesses, some hard to employ people have found employment with socially responsible companies who wish to help.
SLA (Sustainable Livelihoods Approach) Putting people at the centre of development by building strengths, creating new ones and encouraging self-sufficiency.
Pilot project participants and programs for this initiative:
- Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank and YWCA of Cambridge through Small Steps to Success (SSTS) Program
- Regional Municipality of Waterloo through the National Child Benefit (NCB) Community Outreach Program
- Lutherwood-CODA through the Community Support Services Program
- YMCA Settlement/Integration Services of Cambridge through the Employment Services Program
- Cambridge Kiwanis Village Non-Profit Housing Corporation through the Supporting Housing Options for Youth
Opportunities Waterloo Region strives towards a community that offers safe and affordable food, housing, health care, affordable education and fair pay for employment. Diversity, multiculturalism and caring communities and families are encouraged, valued and supported.
To learn more about Opportunities Waterloo Region, see their website
Sources: Opportunities Waterloo Region website, 2007
