Poverty, and its impact on people living in Peterborough City and County have been a growing concern in our community. The Mayor’s Action Committee on Poverty Reduction was created in August, 2007, following a series of community consultations. These consultations were seen as a first step for developing a community-based strategy for short and long term activities to reduce poverty and its impacts. In December, 2007, the Mayor’s Action Committee created a Working Group on “Addressing the Root Causes of Poverty”, whose Terms of Reference include “increasing the community’s understanding of the causes, conditions and consequences of poverty” as well as “identifying opportunities and strategies for action to address the root causes of poverty”.

In this report, the Working Group has pulled together existing data from a wide range of sources to examine the extent of poverty in our community, its root causes, and its impact on many of our citizens. Based on this data and the associated community consultations, the report also makes recommendations on local action that could be taken to address poverty over the long term. Information is organized into sections on income, housing, food and basic needs, and employment and education. An effort has been made to put a human face to the experience of poverty through personal experiences and stories wherever possible.

The intention of the Working Group is to share the report and its findings with the recently formed issue-oriented committees of the Peterborough Community Poverty Reduction Strategy. Through them it is hoped the report will be shared with a broader audience of stakeholders and the general public in order to confirm findings and identify remaining gaps. It is hoped that the report will serve as a base to develop specific strategies for local action to reduce poverty in Peterborough City and County.