The Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination is pleased to announce the release of its fourth Annual Report to the Community. Showcasing its 2014 accomplishments and its 2015 Action Plan, the Poverty Task Force presents this report in its second year of a three-year strategic plan.
“We are very proud of our accomplishments over the past year, they have come out of the hard work anddedication of our members and our amazing staff! Our Report to the Community demonstrates our commitment to being open and accountable in our work and provides us with an important opportunity to share where we are headed in the year ahead” says Stuart Beumer, Co-Chair of the Poverty Task Force.
The report highlights key achievements in the past year, including:
– Hosting three living wage community conversations to increase community understanding of the living wage and to build support for it in our community.
– Advocating for an Ontario Housing Benefit to help low-income community members close the gap between their household income and rent.
– Developing a community vision for the Seed Community Food Hub to increase the quality and quantity of food available to low income families and individuals.
– Administering the Guelph-Wellington Oral Health Survey to identify barriers to accessing oral health care for low-income adults.
– Ensuring that poverty was a key election issue during the municipal and provincial elections.
In response to the report, community member Tina Brophey says she is “grateful for the research the PTF has done on priority areas impacting low-income people, such as food security, and for the awareness it brings to these important issues. It’s great that there are so many people sitting at the table with power to make change. It’s because of the PTF’s work and support that exciting initiatives, like the Seed Community Food Hub, have come about.”
The report also looks ahead to where the Poverty Task Force will be making change in 2015, including the following actions:
– Establish a Living Wage Advisory Committee and launch a local Living Wage Employer Recognition Program.
– Provide input, monitor, and support the development and/or implementation of municipal housing strategies.
– Support innovative solutions to food insecurity in Wellington County.
– Release the results of the Oral Health Survey at an Oral Health Forum.
– Complete a retrospective evaluation on the impact the PTF has had in the past five years.
Announcement of
New Co-Chair
The release of the report also marks the appointment of Welcome In, Drop In Executive Director Gail Hoekstra as the new co-chair of the Poverty Task Force’s member committee. Hoekstra who joins Stuart Beumer in the role says she is “really excited to be involved with the Poverty Task Force’s work. The individuals at the table represent such a wide spectrum of services and supports, as well as individuals with livedexperience, who have a real passion to create positive change. It has been amazing to see how the work of the Poverty Task Force has already created change in the lives of individuals and families living in poverty in our community.”
Hoekstra has been in the Executive Director role at the Welcome In, Drop In since 2012 and previously worked in mental health from 1992-2012 in a variety of roles for what is now the Canadian Mental Health Association. Hoekstra holds a Masters of Social Work and brings with her to the co-chair role a wealth of knowledge and experience. The Poverty Task Force welcomes her leadership.
For more information see www.gwpoverty.ca
