Niagara Prosperity Initiative
- Fort Erie
• North Section - Grimsby
• Downtown - Niagara Falls
• Drummond/Victoria - Port Colborne
• Three-Bridges - St. Catharines
• Western Hill
• Queenston/Haig - Welland
• Eastdale/Cordage
Niagara's Prosperity Initiative is a partnership among private, voluntary and public sectors established to address poverty at the neighbourhood level.
Helping Neighbourhoods Most In Need
Niagara Regional Council has authorized the yearly investment of $1.5 million in social assistance cost savings toward increasing prosperity for Niagara families living in poverty.
Niagara Region Community Services developed a mapping tool to help guide decisions about which neighbourhoods should receive attention. The indicators used in the mapping tool included:
- School Readiness
- Education level
- Income level
- Unemployment
- Percentage of income spent on housing
- Birth Weight
Seven neighbourhoods - one each in Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland, Niagara Falls, Grimsby and two in St. Catharines - were identified by the mapping tool as being most in need.
In Fall 2009, 11 community consultation sessions were held across Niagara to hear from people living in poverty. Input from these sessions helped develop the criteria used in selecting the neighbourhood development projects for 2010.
In November 2009, an Request for Proposals was issued for 2010 Prosperity projects. A review committee representing business, education, government and non-profit organizations selected 33 projects to be delivered by 26 agencies across the region.
Role of the Business Education Council
The Business Education Council of Niagara acts as the secretariat for the Prosperity Initiative and for Niagara Prosperity Initiatives Advisory Committee.
Development of the Niagara Prosperity Initiative
The need to address poverty reduction in Niagara was outlined in a 2007 report titled "A Legacy of Poverty? Addressing Cycles of Poverty and the Impact on Child Health in Niagara Region."
In 2008, Regional Council authorized $900,000 toward seven strategies for poverty reduction in the Niagara Region.
In 2009, 34 projects delivered by 20 agencies across Niagara were selected for funding through a Request for Proposals process. Projects focused on providing assistance to help residents access public transit, food, clothing, and summer and after school programs.