Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership
Between 1961 and 1977 the number of Canadians living in poverty fell from 29 percent to 13 percent. However, since then efforts to reduce poverty in Canada have stalled. There has been no underlying decrease in the rate of poverty in over 30 years. The following paints a picture closer to home (CUISR, 2009):
- In Saskatchewan, we have made little headway in reducing poverty among Aboriginal people, single mothers and people with disabilities.
- Aboriginal people are almost four times more likely to experience poverty than the general population in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan has one of the highest child poverty rates in Canada.
- Close to one in four children (24%) in Saskatoon lives in poverty.
- Close to half of Saskatoon’s core neighbourhood residents live below the poverty line.
Collaborative approaches to poverty reduction offer a new way to gain traction in the fight against poverty. This is in response to evidence that services for those living in poverty were too fragmented and thus ineffective. Issues such as employment, health, crime, education and housing were being handled in isolation from one another. Instead, multiple and interrelated problems require multiple and interrelated solutions.
Collaborative initiatives begin from the premise that poverty is a complex issue that cannot be addressed effectively by any one agency or sector acting on its own. Poverty can only be tackled successfully when a wide range of actors each involved with different aspects of the issue come together in an orchestrated effort.
The Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership (SPRP) formed in 2010 to address poverty in Saskatoon using a collaborative approach. The partnership has evolved from a long history of community collaboration and a clear commitment to a multi-sectoral and sustainable efforts to reduce poverty in Saskatoon that is focused on a common vision.
The vision of the SPRP is to have sustained individual and community well-being for the people of Saskatoon. The immediate objective is to develop, implement and evaluate a Saskatoon Action Plan to Reduce Poverty that:
- demonstrates a shared understanding of poverty in Saskatoon
- articulates shared leadership across sectors
- integrates the history of poverty reduction work in Saskatoon
- outlines broad goals with multi-year commitment by community partners
- outlines key activities, targets and measures
- is updated on an ongoing basis
- reflects broad input and commitment from community stakeholders
The SPRP has made two significant achievements since 2010:
(1) Identification of key policy options prioritized for action to reduce poverty. The priority policy options relate to income support, housing, increased health and social service resources in core neighborhoods, child care, and return to work; and
(2) Development of a collaborative leadership model and structure to build accountability and guide action across sectors.
The next step is the completion, release and implementation of the community-wide action plan by Fall 2011.
