Together BC: British Columbia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.

This British Columbia’s first ever poverty reduction strategy (Together B.C.) recognizes the power of collective action to make life better for people. This strategy is guided by the extensive engagement undertaken with British Columbians in which thousands of people from throughout our province participated. We listened to their concerns and ideas. And from all the input, discussion and debate came a strategy that will contribute to a more diverse, equitable and prosperous province. This strategy brings together solutions to poverty from across government and across society. This is a complex challenge requiring solutions from all levels of government, First Nations, businesses, community organizations and individuals. This text also recognizes that poverty doesn’t affect all people equally. Indigenous peoples, transgender people, people of colour, refugees, and people with disabilities all face more barriers and higher rates of poverty. Poverty is an intersectional problem.
Priority areas included in this text are: Housing and Homelessness: Overwhelmingly, the most constant and pressing issue is the lack of affordable housing, which has been identified by families, businesses, local government, Indigenous leaders and many others; Supports for Children and Families: Specifically, the lack and cost of child care has historically prevented many parents, particularly single mothers, from getting and keeping a full-time job; Financial Security and Income Supports: Government financial support services-from RAP, SAFER and other rental assistance programs to income and disability assistance rates-have historically not kept pace with B.C.’s cost of living; Mental Health and Addictions Services: No matter the community, people reported the same problems-services are hard to access, wait lists too long, and supports too late in coming; Food Security: People are more and more concerned about how the lack of quality, healthy and affordable food makes their lives harder and puts their family’s health at risk; Access to Health Care: Too many people simply can’t afford the medicine they need, a trip to the dentist, or other medical supplies and services that are outside MSP coverage-and even more so in remote and Indigenous communities; Education and Training: While education is frequently cited as a key to breaking the cycle of poverty, its cost puts it out of reach for too many families and young people living in poverty; Employment and Jobs: Many people spoke of being trapped in precarious employment, with low wages and unpredictable hours-making it virtually impossible to adequately support their families; Access to Services: There is an ongoing need identified for public services to modernize-in terms of meeting the diversity of B.C.’s population, improving both online and face-to-face access, and improving integration of services-so that B.C.’s most vulnerable people can better take advantage of services the Province provides; Safe, Affordable Transportation: For work, family and recreational purposes, people need reliable and affordable transportation options, particularly as they are forced to move further out of urban centres due to the high cost of housing; Access to Justice: Unresolved legal problems can cause serious and sustained financial and emotional issues for people living in poverty, and too often B.C.’s most vulnerable do not have access to the justice services that protect their safety and rights; Discrimination and Stigma: Living in poverty is challenging enough without being judged for it, discrimination and stigma are significant barriers preventing people from accessing opportunity and breaking the cycle of poverty. These 12 key priorities serve as a roadmap for this strategy and the significant actions and investments-past and future-this government is taking to lift more people out of poverty. They are being distilled into six priority action areas government is focusing on in the first phase of TogetherBC.