Today I attended the Poverty Summit. Rather timely after being at FCM meetings last week. The summit was well attended by social, faith, and other community groups. As well as leaders from the United Ways of Halton, Habitat for Humanity, school Boards. But most importantly by people who either are receiving social assistance or who have been recipients in the past. We were reminded the name should be elimination not reduction as reduction says that a level is allowed.
Poverty is estimated to cost the Canadian economy 72 Billion per year according to the Toronto Star editorial on Nov 21st. We have been studying it to death. We have the studies from the “social determinants of Health”; we have the data collected by the Our Kids Networks and the groups like the United Ways. We have the data what we have not had in Halton is the program or the people to push it. Push it big time. Hamilton has done a Roundtable on Poverty Reduction. That is a model I have had phone calls from people in other areas tell me we should do. Or the work of the Toronto City Summit Alliance.
The City of Vancouver has found that the cost of providing housing for someone is about 37,000 a year. But the cost for that same person if they were homeless is over $52,000 a year. The home gives them a base and a place to grow in and feel safe.
I do not think the solutions to Poverty elimination are all government. But business, community groups and all level of government must work together and find the solutions.
My thanks to the organisers for the hard work they did in getting everyone together.
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