Addressing Poverty – Building Human Capacity and Economic Prosperity
The statistics are shocking. The child poverty rate in Canada is 14%, the child poverty rate in BC is 20% and the child poverty rate on Vancouver Island is 21% and in the central Island, nearly 23%. A 2009 study by CPABC found that poverty in BC costs society between $8.1 and $9.2 billion a year—or between 4.1 and 4.7 percent of the provincial economy (as measured by GDP) in costs to the health care and justice systems, and in foregone economic activity.
Poverty in our society is systemic and generational. It is no surprise that children impacted by the multi-dimensions of poverty have limited access to basic physical, mental and emotional development necessary to lead healthy, productive lives. These deficiencies are cyclical—preventing generations from leading fulfilling lives and contributing to the vitality of our communities and economy.
For too long, the issue of poverty has been relegated to the silo of social services where it cannot be adequately viewed in context with culture and economy. The implications—troublesome if not addressed or exciting if embraced—are enormous. Are we smart enough to find solutions? Are we daring enough to risk failure? Are we sufficiently visionary to collaborate?
Business people are taught to secure their local markets before casting further afield for customers. If you can’t find consumers for your products and services in your own back yard, how can you expect to appeal to those in your competitor’s back yards? Might this also apply to optimizing engagement of home-grown human resources?