Surrey and New Westminster are among seven B.C. communities to participate in a pilot project geared at helping families get out of poverty.
The other selected communities are Prince George, Port Hardy, Cranbrook, Stewart and Kamloops.
The Ministry of Children and Family Development is appointing seven community poverty strategy consultants to forge partnerships with local governments, community organizations and local businesses.
The consultants will lead community teams in developing action plans to address the needs of families living in poverty. Action plans with measurable targets will be developed over the summer, with implementation scheduled for September.
“Surrey is pleased to partner in this new pilot project, which will take a holistic and integrated approach to addressing the needs of low-income families and will complement the efforts already being made in Surrey,” said Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts.
“We need to develop innovative strategies around income, housing, transportation and supports to help lift families and children out of poverty.”
Once the pilot has been implemented in the first seven communities, the province plans to evaluate it and expand it to include 20 more communities each year for the next two years.
“The goal is to provide low-income families with tailor-made springboards out of poverty by focusing on their strengths – not just their needs,” said Mary McNeil, minister of children and family development.
