Council receives Poverty primer from local support agency

Last Monday's Prince Rupert City Council session offered up an opportunity for City Councillors to learn more about the growing needs for many of the city's residents, as well as a helpful bit of background about the Kaien Anti Poverty Society, the local group that has been offering assistance to those in the most need in the community.

For close to 45 minutes, members of KAPS provided City Council with an overview of some of the concerns of those living on, or below the poverty line in the region. With growing alarm for many at the rise in rental accommodations and the struggles when it comes to grocery shopping that many in the community are facing.

The three member delegation from the Anti Poverty Society outlined the nature of some of the programs that they currently offer in the community, including their community garden project and a food distribution system in place known as Food Share.

The nature of their review, provided a bit of an eye opening experience for Council members, along with some cautionary notes that with the ongoing promise of better times to come in the community, the reality for many at this point in time is one of a daily struggle.

With all of the boom time talk of late also comes fears of a rapid increase for food, accommodation and other services in the community for the future, something that would have a major impact on those who can least afford such dramatic change.

Council members asked a number of questions of the KAPS delegation, seeking to learn more about their needs in the community and how the City could lend assistance towards some of their larger concerns.

Among those items, the desire to bring all service providers together to examine the issues of poverty in the community, other pathways to seek funding for local programs and the wish to see a wellness centre made available in the community, all directions which the City may be able to provide a conduit to the provincial government to seek action on.

You can review the full presentation from the City's Video Archive for April 28th, it runs from the five minute to forty seven minute mark.

We have more items on City Council developments available on our archive page.