London's economy may be improving, but the problem of poverty isn't going away.
Mayor Matt Brown acknowledged that fact Wednesday as he announced the Mayor's Advisory Panel on Poverty.
The panel will meet, according to the mayor, at least six or seven times between September and March in an effort to "develop action-oriented recommendations to address issues related to poverty in London."
“We know that poverty is a challenge in London," says Brown. "We also know that many individuals and organizations across the city are doing important work to address the root causes of poverty, focusing on wide-ranging issues from homeless prevention, to employment supports, to food insecurity and more. We know poverty persists in London. We need to build a strong community for all Londoners."
The panel includes Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie, Deputy Mayor Maureen Cassidy, United Way of London & Middlesex CEO Andrew Lockie, London Homeless Coalition Chair Abe Oudshoorn, London Food Bank Co-director Glen Pearson, and Western University Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Helene Berman.
The panel has listed five goals it hopes to achieve.
- Developing a shared understanding of how to address poverty more effectively in London
- Mapping efforts currently underway to address poverty in London
- Identifying gaps and areas requiring significant action
- Engaging local stakeholders in dialogue on gaps and approaches to address poverty
- Developing a set of recommendations to better coordinate our collective efforts to address issues related to poverty more effectively throughout London and the areas requiring significant action.