Poverty reduction subject of library talk

it comes to poverty, we don’t always have the facts straight. But here are some you might not know:

One in seven children lives in poverty in Ontario.

In Niagara, more than 5,400 children are living in poverty.

People living in poverty are more likely to get sick and their illnesses are likely to be more serious.

Poverty costs the residents of Ontario $32 billion to $38 billion a year.

People find themselves living in poverty for many reasons — due to life situations or often due to some personal or economic crisis beyond their control. The cause of poverty is not always simple and straightforward. Examples include the affordability of housing, the adequacy of employment insurance, access to health, education and training, and the lack of living wages from employment.

People who are living in poverty are made up of older people as well as younger people; they are the disabled as well as the ablebodied; the well-educated as well as the poorly educated. Losing a job, losing a spouse, and/or losing good health are some of the reasons that people fall into poverty.

The number of people in Niagara experiencing poverty is growing, and traditional, one-dimensional solutions are no longer effective. A network, representing all aspects of the community, was formed to begin the work on these solutions. The network evolved in 2011 out of a community-based committee that had an interest in guiding a pool of poverty-reduction grants provided by Niagara Region.

Committee members then identified a need to tackle poverty reduction beyond grant-making, because grants are finite but the depth and breadth of the issue of poverty is infinite. Niagara Poverty Reduction Network was formed.

Niagara Poverty Reduction Network (NPRN) is a group of residents, businesses and organizations with a vision. Businesses in the network include Brock University, YMCA of Niagara, Habitat for Humanity Niagara and Niagara Catholic District School Board, among others.

NPRN’s vision is “All Niagara residents live above the poverty line.”

NPRN established three goals to direct its work. They are: dispel myths about living in poverty; improve collaboration and actions in poverty reduction efforts by all stakeholders; and engage and include all individuWhen als in the community.

A speaker from Niagara Poverty Reduction Network will join us at the Crystal Ridge library on Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. Get to know the real facts, the work being done by the network, and how you can contribute to wiping out poverty in Niagara. For more information about Niagara Poverty Reduction Network, you can also visit its website at www.wipeoutpoverty.ca.