New funding for two programs will help local governments develop plans and projects to benefit some of BC’s most vulnerable residents. Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, announced new funding program targeting the reduction of poverty at the local level. The new Poverty Reduction Planning and Actions Program will provide $5 million over three years to help local governments combat poverty in their communities.
The Poverty Reduction Planning and Actions Program will allow local governments to apply to one of two funding streams, to develop either a plan or a project to help reduce poverty in BC. The program is based on the provincial government’s poverty reduction strategy, TogetherBC, which was released in March 2019 and aims to reduce the overall poverty rate in BC by 25%, and the child poverty rate by 50%, by 2024. The application deadline is February 28, 2020, and application materials are available on the UBCM website.
Additionally, a new intake to assist BC’s seniors to age in place was announced by the Ministry of Health on Friday.
The Age-Friendly Communities program has been assisting local governments in BC support seniors since 2005 and the Ministry of Health has contributed over $7 million to further this initiative since its inception. Similar to the Poverty Reduction program, local governments can apply to either develop an age-friendly plan or project. The application deadline is January 17, 2020, and application materials can be found on the UBCM website.