Poverty Solutions
Consultation has concluded
Help shape a strategy to address the root causes of poverty and create social and economic opportunity in Halifax.
United Way Halifax and Halifax Regional Municipality are engaging community to ensure issues of poverty are understood from urban and rural perspectives and to identify the solutions that can have the biggest impact. With this focus we are challenging community to develop solutions that address the needs of those who are most vulnerable and strengthen long-term health and quality of life for all in our community. The possibilities are all around us and now is the time to act. Regional Council and United Way Halifax are ready. We hope you are too.
50,000 in Halifax Regional Municipality are living in poverty. | $2-$3 Billion the estimated annual cost of poverty to Nova Scotia. | 1 in 7 households in our city are food insecure. |
1 in 8 live below the low income cut off measure which means they struggle to meet essential needs - within this group, children are among the most vulnerable. | This works out to $2,100 to $3,000 every year for each resident. Poverty costs all of us and robs our children, and future generations from reaching their full potential. | For these households, this means they don’t have the food they need to live healthy lives and are at greater risk of illness. |
Access to affordable, healthy food
The Halifax Regional Municipality is working with United Way Halifax, the Halifax Partnership and other partners to submit an application for the Smart Cities Challenge with the goal of addressing access to affordable, healthy food in our communities.
Residents are asked to help by completing the online survey designed to gather insights and perspectives regarding barriers to accessing affordable, healthy food in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Feedback will be used to inform the municipality’s submission to the Smart Cities Challenge as well as help shape ongoing collaborative efforts to combat poverty in our region.
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EndPovertyEdmonton is an excellent example of how one Canadian municipality is tackling the issue of poverty and working across sectors.
In 2014, the city of Edmonton established the Mayor's Task Force to Eliminate Poverty. It was co-chaired by Edmonton's Mayor Don Iveson and Bishop Jane Alexander. The Task Force included 7 Working Groups to address key priorities around poverty: early childhood development education, health and wellness, housing and transportation, community well-being, economic security and justice and democratic participation.
The result of the Task Force's work is EndPovertyEdmonton - a community-based initiative aimed at advancing a vision of share prosperity for all, where every Edmontonian has an equal opportunity to live, work, participate and thrive.
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