Poverty Reduction Strategy
Poverty is a complex problem – it impacts people in many different and compounding ways – financially, physically, socially, and emotionally. Poverty also has negative consequences for communities and for the bottom-line in public spending.
We think of poverty as a complicated jigsaw puzzle – there are no easy solutions, no easy explanations and there are lots of pieces; but with concerted effort and by working together, we can reduce poverty.
A Poverty Reduction Strategy is currently underway in the city, taking shape in the form of the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative (CPRI). The CPRI is a joint initiative of The City of Calgary and the United Way of Calgary to develop a long-term community-based strategy to significantly reduce poverty in Calgary. Officially launched in January 2012, the CPRI will engage Calgarians to develop this strategy by May 2013. After months of consultations with the public and members of the community, the CPRI has begun drafting key strategy recommendations, the final version of which will be presented to City Council in May of this year. Vibrant Communities Calgary has been involved in a number of the constellation groups, has organized critical meetings between the CPRI and PovertyTalks, and is currently contributing to the CPRI during their various Strategic Sessions. For more information on the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, visit their website at enoughforall.ca
Vibrant Communities Calgary is hopeful that Premier Redford will deliver on her campaign promise to implement a 5-year plan to eliminate child poverty and a 10-year plan to significantly reduce poverty in Alberta. Alberta would be one of the last provinces to adopt a Poverty Reduction Strategy, and we feel this is long overdue. Though Premier Redford has yet to revisit this commitment, the Conservative government has just finished the multi-stage public consultation process which created the Social Policy Framework.
Over 31,000 Albertans contributed to the project, resulting in a framework that will guide government and community partners to address challenges such as poverty, addiction, and family violence. This will provide an ideal platform from which to initiate a made-in-Alberta Poverty Reduction Strategy. For more information on the Social Policy Framework, visit Many other provinces have adopted Poverty Reduction Strategies and others are in the process of doing so.
For more information on the Social Policy Framework, visit www.socialpolicy.alberta.ca. To learn about Poverty Reduction Strategies in other provinces, the Tamarack Institute is a great place to start.
