The City of Prince George wants to understand how poverty affects its whole community and needs your help.
Starting today (Feb. 11), a public survey has been launched on poverty reduction, which will be available until March 12.
Participation in the survey is set to help the city prioritize recommendations for action and advocacy, aimed at reducing poverty that have been drafted by the City’s Select Committee on Poverty Reduction.
This committee was created to help make recommendations to Mayor and council about how Prince George can implement the province’s poverty reduction strategy known as TogetherBC.
It aims to reduce overall poverty in B.C. by 25 per cent and child poverty by 50 per cent by 2024.
“The challenges associated with poverty affect our community as a whole; therefore, all Prince George residents are invited to participate,” says Coun. Murry Krause, who chairs the Committee.
“However, there are key members of our community who are at greater risk than others–youth, seniors, Indigenous peoples, single-parent families, those experiencing mental health and addictions issues– and it is their feedback, and the feedback of agencies and advocates who support them, that we are diligently seeking as part of this public engagement process.”
Starting next week, the city will be working with community partners and agencies to obtain feedback from diverse groups of residents, especially those with lived experience of poverty.
In order to ensure accessibility and inclusion, paper surveys and phone calls will also be available for those who may not be able to contribute online.
“The goal of tackling poverty may feel overwhelming, especially during COVID-19,” said Krause.
“However, the Select Committee on Poverty Reduction has narrowed the focus to ensure that the recommendations being prioritized by those providing feedback can be achieved at the municipal level.”
