Derry City and Strabane District Council is facilitating a series of meetings designed to identify actions that will help provide pathways out of poverty and reduce poverty levels across the Council area.
The meetings are being organised following a Council notice of motion and will form an important part of the proactive role undertaken by Council to look at the impact poverty is having on communities in the Council area and looking at ways to address it by providing support through the development of an Anti-Poverty Action Plan.
The first meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday 1st March in the Main Hall, Guildhall from 10.00am to 12 noon, with registration from 9.30am. The meeting, which is open to public, will feature several speakers.
Senior Economist with the Council, Michael Gallagher, will provide an overview on the level of poverty in households and discuss the impact it has on the local economy and what opportunities there are to address the issue.
As part of the Pathways out of Poverty discussion there will be some local voices who will share their own personal experiences, while Karen Mullan, the Strategic Development Manager with the Foyle Foodbank, will speak about the Pathfinder programme at Trussell Trust.
Recognising the need to get the root causes of poverty, Goretti Horgan, senior lecturer in Social Policy at Ulster University, will give perspectives on policies impacting on poverty and local writer and broadcaster Paul Gosling will give an insight into the important role of education in alleviating poverty.
This will be followed by a group discussion with feedback from participants with a view to agreeing an approach which will inform the direction for future meetings.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Patricia Logue encouraging the public to attend the meeting, acknowledged the important role Council is taking in initiating an Anti-Poverty Action Plan.
She said: “Council officers have been engaging regularly with local support organisations and statutory agencies where it has been agreed that it was important to widen the net with further collaborations to identify and prioritise relevant interventions to help prevent people from getting into poverty and to assist those who are living in poverty with pathways and opportunities to get out of it.”
Oonagh McGillion, Director of Legacy with Council, who will provide the introduction and set the context of the discussion, said: “Council is hopeful that this meeting will be a step in the right direction to achieve a wider understanding of the context for creating an Anti-Poverty Action Plan and its relationship to the Strategic Inclusive Growth Plan.
“As part of that process, we need to fully understand the extent of the social and economic challenges we face, the policy drivers for change at central government level and what opportunities are available to assist.
“I look forward to the meeting on Friay, 01 March and encourage anyone with an interest in this subject to attend.”
Anyone interested in attending are advised they must register in advance via the following link: www.derrystrabane.com/antipovertyactionplan
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