One in four families in Toronto does not have the income necessary to live a healthy life and participate fully in their community. Inequality can be based on geography; some neighbourhoods experience greater poverty than others. People from Aboriginal and racialized communities, newcomers to Canada, people with disabilities, youth and children, lone parents, and others are dealing with the biggest challenges.
Many people work more than one job, yet still have low incomes. Having an education is not proving to be a pathway to well-paid jobs for almost 1/4 of graduates. More than 1 million visits to food banks in Toronto means families, especially with children, are unable to put food on the table every day. Housing costs can take more than 70% of household income, yet can be poorly maintained or inadequate for the size of the family.
The Phase 1 engagement (November, 2014 to February, 2015) of the Toronto Poverty Reduction Strategy aimed to seek feedback in four key areas:
- The drivers of poverty in Toronto;
- A vision for the kind of Toronto we want;
- What we are doing that helps address poverty and what else could be done; and,
- An engagement plan for the next phase of the work.
The data contained in the Excel file titled Phase 1 Questionnaire Responses, was collected through an online questionnaire. The information recorded in the PDF file, titled Phase 1 Community Conversations was collected by community members using a PDF Facilitation Guide developed by City staff. The information recorded in the PDF file, titled Phase 1 Multisector Dialogue was collected by staff and table facilitators at a full day workshop on November 28, 2014.
Phase 2 engagement (February, 2015 to April, 2015) built on community input from Phase 1 and gathered public feedback on key actions for various themes, (Access to Services; Child Care; Employment and Income, Food Access; Housing; and Transportation), and on principles that should guide City decisions.
The Phase Two data includes two Excel files:
- The Days of Dialogue data that was transcribed into Excel from the ten community meetings.
- The Online Feedback data that was collected through an online feedback form.
For more information visit TOProsperity
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