Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction Community Government Collaboration on Policy

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Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction
Community Government Collaboration on Policy
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Poverty in Hamilton

• 2001 Hamilton Poverty Matrix 20 of Hamiltons
  residents are living in poverty. Rates are even
  higher for children under 14 (24), seniors age
  65 and older (24), the Aboriginal community
  (37), and recent immigrants (50).
• This is unacceptable. We stand together as a
  community to find solutions. (Source Hamilton
  Poverty Matrix, 2005)
• 2006 Statistics Canada Data 18.1 of
  Hamiltons residents are living in poverty.
  Children 12 and under 23.4. This is still
  unacceptable.

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The Roundtable

• Formed in May 2005
• Co-convened by the City of Hamilton and Hamilton
  Community Foundation
• Cross-sectoral table with members from business,
  government, voluntary sectors and people living
  in poverty
• Financial Support City of Hamilton, Hamilton
  Community Foundation, The. J.W. McConnell Family
  Foundation, The Charles Johnson Charitable Fund,
  Corporate Partners including Pictorvision,
  Dofasco, Turkstra Lumber, Marks Work Wearhouse

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Roundtable Cultural Shifts

• Shift emphasis from alleviation to prevention
• Think comprehensively and tackle root causes
• Work collaboratively across sectors
• Abandon blame and acknowledge we are all part of
  the problem and part of the solution
• Emphasize innovation, risk taking and long-term
  change

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Making Hamilton the Best Place to Raise a Child
Asset Building Wealth Creation
Quality Early Learning and Parenting
Skills through education, Activity and recreation
Employment
Targeted Skills Development (PSE)
Tackling Root Causes Affordable Housing, Food
Security, Income Security, Accessible
Transportation, Safe Neighbourhoods

• Hamilton Roundtable for
• Poverty Reduction
• How We will do Our Work
• ?Move from Alleviation to Prevention ?Tackle
  Root Causes ?Work collaboratively across
  sectors
• ?Abandon Blame all can be part of the solution
  
• ?Emphasize innovation, risk taking, long term
  change

Linking and Facilitating Role Strategic
Poverty Focus Community Engagement Change and
Action Learning and Accountability
Community-Level Macro Strategy
Knowledge Transfer Outputs Outcomes
Evaluation Learning
Changes in Structures Processes Policies
Indicators
Critical Points of Investment Strategy
Community-Lead Initiatives
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• Four Roles which Drive the Work of the Roundtable
  
• Strategic Poverty Focus
• Develop a shared poverty aspiration and outcomes
• Keep the focus on strategic community change
• Broad Community Engagement
• Engage the community in creating solutions
• Ensure civic space for discussion across sectors
• Supporting Change and Action
• Identify barriers that block progress and provide
  solutions
• Help link organizations to strategies
• Leverage resources and attract investment
• Provide administrative support to continue moving
  forward
• Learning and Communication
• Facilitate the exchange of knowledge
• Communicate to the community about poverty and
  change strategies
• Measure progress and report to the community

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Starting Point Strategy March 2007

• Aspiration
• Making Hamilton the Best Place to Raise a
  Child
• Three Strategies at the core of the work plan
• The Big Picture The HRPR Macro Strategy focusing
  on Policy and Systems Level Changes
• Leveling the Playing Field for all Children
  Five Critical Points of Investment
• Collective Leadership Local Strategies and
  Community Solutions - led by community partners

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• Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction
• Leadership and Governance

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• Roundtable Governance
• Roundtable 42 members, cross sectoral
  leadership including 10 low income, citizen
  leaders
• Over 400 individuals and groups engaged in
  poverty reduction efforts across he community
• Committees and Working Groups
• Steering Committee
• Youth Voice Against Poverty
• Governance Working Group
• Policy Working Group
• Evaluation and Learning Working Group
• Government Engagement Working Group
• Neighbourhood Development Strategy Working Group
• Starting Point Partners

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• Engaging the Community

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• Community Engagement Key Success Factors
• A broad range of people are participating and
  engaged
• People are thoughtfully trying to solve poverty
  in Hamilton
• The engagement process creates vision, achieves
  results, creates movement and change
• Different sectors are involved in the process
• There is a focus on collaboration and social
  inclusion
• The community determines its priorities
• There is a balance between engagement processes
  and action

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• Community Engagement
• Results to December 2007
• Hamilton Spectator 3 year editorial commitment
  (2006-2008)
• 400 articles, editorials and letters to the
  editor
• 5 Hamilton Stories published by the Caledon
  Institute of Social Policy
• 11 community consultations
• 2 community wide events and 84 retention rate
• 5 collaborative tables
• 91 locally led community solutions
• 33,787 individuals connected at presentations,
  meetings events
• 300 citizens engaged in neighbourhood planning
  process

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• Policy and Systems Change

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• Policy and Systems Change Approach
• Identify core policy areas
• Host a Policy Working Group and Government
  Engagement Working Group
• Develop linkages with Caledon, Vibrant
  Communities and other partners
• Identify opportunities for policy influence at
  the municipal, provincial and federal levels
• Identify short and long term strategies
• Develop an evaluation approach to policy work

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Policy Leadership

• Policy Working Group
• Table of community leaders and roundtable members
  with a specific policy focus on poverty reduction
  
• Meet monthly since June 2007
• Lead on Briefing Notes
• Hosted pre-election meetings with candidates
  federal, municipal, provincial
• Individual meetings with 5 area MPs and MPPs and
  all city council members and senior city staff
• In development overarching policy paper for
  Roundtable

• Government Engagement Working Group
• Senior staff from all three levels of government
  co-chaired by City of Hamilton and MCSS
• Meeting since November 2007
• Currently in learning and engagement phase
  sharing information around table about
  investments aligned with HRPR Critical Points of
  Investments
• Creation of synergies across levels of government
  and opportunities to exchange around priorities
• High level of engagement continually adding in
  members

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• Early Policy Results - Policy and Briefing Notes
  
• Who Lives in Poverty September 2005
• Hamilton Poverty Matrix September 2005
• Shared Governance Government Learning Circle
  Article March 2006 (Caledon Institute of Social
  Policy)
• HRPR Strategic Overview June 2007
• Federal Government 2008 Budget Submission
• Ontario Poverty Strategy September 2007
• Government of Ontario 2008 Pre-Budget Brief
  January 2008
• Federal Government Meeting with Minister Monte
  Solberg Briefing Note February 2008
• Briefing Note Statistics Canada Income Release
  May 2008
• Ontario Poverty Strategy Questions and Answers
  May 2008

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Policy Change

• Policy Convening and Responses Hamilton Child
  Care Wait List Strategy, Immigration Strategy,
  Ontario Child Benefit, Every Child Plays,
  Hamilton Partners for Healthy Weights, School
  Boards Poverty and Equal Opportunities teams,
  Affordable Transit Pass Pilot, Ontario Social
  Assistance Rates Board, Downtown Safety and
  Security Report, Hamilton Economic Summit,
  Hamilton Pan Am Games Bid, MetroLinx
  Transportation Consultation, Living Wage Research
  
• Policy Change Results
• Return of Municipal Portion of the NCB Claw Back
  - 2 million to 6, 413 families
• Affordable Transit Pass Program for Low Income
  Workers - 500,000 to 1200 employees
• City of Hamilton adopts HRPR Aspiration as part
  of City Vision
• City of Hamilton Living Wage Procurement Policy
  currently under development
• Alignment with Immigration Strategy Table, Human
  Services Planning Table and Jobs Prosperity
  Collaborative
• Increased alignment of City funding around
  poverty priorities

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Tracking Policy Changes

• Collection of Weekly Results Data
• What is Changing and HRPR Involvement
  Examples
• Ontario Poverty Strategy Consultation Half of
  the participants in Hamilton were individuals
  living with low or limited incomes
• Ontario Budget Release sharing of information
  regarding Hamilton impact from sources across
  City municipal, agency, chamber
• Ontario Social Assistance Rates Board Legislation
  economic impact study collaborative convened by
  HRPR with legal clinics, city staff, SPRC and
  economist from McMaster University
• Hamilton Economic Summit representation and
  leadership from a number of Roundtable and
  community leaders prosperity/poverty key part
  of discussions during the day
• HRPR regularly invited to consultative tables in
  the community around transportation, recreation,
  and arts and culture
• Policy Influence share information and
  resources with city staff regarding living wage,
  Ontario Poverty Strategy, housing and
  homelessness, early years, education

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Ontario Poverty Reduction Plan

• Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction
• To develop a focused strategy for reducing
  poverty, including associated indicators and
  targets
• Vision focus on children through expanding
  opportunities, real solutions to put people
  first, we all have a role to play and poverty
  reduction is the right thing to do for families
  and economy
• Changes already - Ontario Child Benefit, child
  care, early learning education, health, skills
  training, minimum wage increases, affordable
  housing, social assistance, newcomers
• Currently launched website, series of
  invitation consultations focusing on 6 questions,
  public consultations hosted by local area MPPs

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The Ontario Context

• Landscape is Crowded Number of inter-connected
  poverty advocacy organizations at the provincial
  level with focus on Ontario Poverty Reduction
  Plan Campaign 2000, SPNO, Colour of Poverty,
  ISAC, ISARC, Vibrant Communities, United Way,
  OMSSA, PRO
• Local Organizing ISAC, SPNO and Colour of
  Poverty received funding for local community
  organizing
• Existing Community Efforts VC organized in
  Hamilton, KW and Niagara with emerging efforts in
  many other communities
• Voice of low-income individuals not always
  present
• Next 6 Months Intense efforts as groups
  position selves and try to influence Ontario
  Poverty Reduction Plan

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• Moving Forward HRPR Next Steps

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• HRPR Next Steps 2008 2009
• Continued Progress on Poverty Change Strategies
• Focus on Policy and Systems changes at the
  municipal, provincial and federal levels
  including the Ontario Cabinet Committee on
  Poverty Reduction, the Affordable Transit Pass,
  the Ontario Child Benefit, etc.
• Integration of the Neighbourhood Strategy into
  the work plan including the recruitment of a
  City-wide committee focusing on neighbourhoods
  and the development of neighbourhood launch pads
• Continued focus on community engagement with the
  Roundtable including the support of starting
  point partners working groups, and community
  tables
• Completion of the HRPR Evaluation Framework and
  development of community indicators to report
  poverty reduction progress
• Continued linkages with Ontario and National
  partners including Vibrant Communities and
  Caledon Institute of Social Policy

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Website Resources Hamilton Roundtable for
Poverty Reduction www.hamiltonpoverty.ca
Vibrant Communities www.tamarackcommunity.ca
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy
www.caledoninst.org Government of Ontario
Poverty Reduction Plan www.ontario.ca/gro
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