qathet Regional Poverty Reduction Strategy
How do we reduce poverty in our community? The question is one of the most complex and pressing issues that we face. Its solution is a vision that the City of Powell River, qathet Regional District, Tla’amin Nation, and many organizations and citizens share and are working together on a Regional Poverty Reduction Strategy.
qathet Regional Community Survey Results
Survey: From March 15 to April 15, 2021 citizens were invited to fill out our Community Wellbeing survey. With the input of 567 people, we were able to get an impression of how people in our region are doing. We found that 37 per cent of the respondents are facing challenges meeting their or their family’s needs each month and that this is directly linked to income. People living alone, in particular lone-parents, face the most challenges.
The survey emphasized the impact the high cost of living and lack of affordable childcare are having in our community. The survey also identified the importance of friends and family and community spirit.
Please go here for a summary of the survey results. The full report can be found here.
Focus Groups: Between June 11 and June 19, 2021, five focus groups and two interviews were conducted with people living around the poverty line. Their stories revealed how poverty is stressful, isolating, and negatively impacts people’s health. Read the full June 2021 Focus Group Results Report.
Community Snapshot: Local Demographic and Income Data
Using Statistics Canada data for our region, we estimate that in the qathet region, more than 3,500 people are low income. In line with the survey findings, 47.1per cent of lone-parent families experience low income and nearly 25 per cent of all children in Powell River are low income.
Please co here for a demographic and income snapshot. The full report can be found here.
Want to learn more and stay involved?
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Congratulations to Jon Boser for winning the $200 grocery gift card for filling out the survey!
The City of Powell River, qathet Regional District and Tla'amin Nation have partnered to complete the qathet Regional Poverty Reduction Strategy as part of the Union of British Columbian Municipalities (UBCM) Poverty Reduction Planning & Action Program. This project is in partnership with Lift Community Services and First Credit Union