Hey All,
Janet found a great report on poverty within Guelph-Wellington County, and the services/policies offered. The report was created through a series of focus-groups and it offers the perspective of the people who actually use the public services the city offers. You can find it here.
Something I thought was interesting, was how someone on a limited income rationalizes the use of the city's free means of equalization and poverty reduction. For example, one woman describes how the city gives her free swim tickets for her daughter to use the rec-centre pool, but the cost of transportation is such a great barrier to reaching the pool, they cannot do so.
"They giver you 12 swim tickets, and (daughter) and I we have no money for bus fair. You've got to take your money to go down and swim that is $5.50 each way for my daughter and I, so it's really kind of counterproductive isn't it? They're giving with one hand and taking away with the other. You can't really enjoy services offered, and that's a big problem, and they wouldn't give us bus tickets to go."
A lot of other topics are covered, such as the state of housing, food security, healthcare, recreation, and legal issues. One thing I haven't been able to fully comprehend since moving to Guelph, is why University students get such a great deal on the bus pass, while other disenfranchised community members pay more.
"If I didn't have a lift to get into work Sunday nights, I had to take a cab and I'm a single mom making this money so why is it they can cater to University students, but they can't cater to the rest of us? The community that can't afford vehicles and need the transit system, you know?"
The follow up report from 2011, can be found here:
Economic Hardship in Wellington County: A follow-up Report to the Community Researcher Project: Exploring Economic Hardship in Guelph and Wellington, April 2011
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