City of Powell River, qathet Regional District and Tla’amin Nation, along with the support of many local organizations and residents, have begun work on phase one of the regional poverty reduction strategy.
According to a media release, as part of this initiative, a community well-being survey was launched on March 15 to gather community input to help understand income-related experiences of individuals and households throughout the qathet region.
“Through partnering with the public, private and nonprofit sectors, the community is able to come together and work towards the common goal of a region without poverty,” stated regional social planner Kai Okazaki. “By engaging multiple agencies and stakeholders, we can make a collective impact to improve the well-being and quality of life in our community.”
While there are existing supports for people experiencing poverty in the region, statistics remain stark, according to the release. The 2019 Powell River regional social planning program final report concluded that one in four children and youth in Powell River and one in six seniors have experienced poverty. Provincially, indigenous people and people with disabilities are twice as likely to experience poverty and children in single parent families are three times more likely to experience poverty than those of two parent families, according to the release.
The community well-being survey will explore barriers and opportunities to poverty reduction in the region and survey responses will be accepted until April 15. The online survey is accessible at participatepr.ca.
For information on access to paper copies, including pickup and submission details, contact Okazaki at kokazaki@powellriver.ca, or call 604.485.8655.
The regional poverty reduction strategy is being produced as part of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities poverty reduction planning and action program.
