Poverty and Housing

Children are not an isolated group and poverty is not an isolated issue. Child poverty needs to be addressed through a comprehensive approach that supports the whole family.

The gospels tell us that children, because of their trust and innocence, have a particular significance in the reign of God. However, they are also among the most vulnerable people in our society. Child poverty has been rising steadily, and in 2010 over one million, or one in six, Canadian children lived in poverty.

Children are not an isolated group, and economic poverty is not an isolated issue. Child poverty needs to be addressed through a comprehensive approach that supports the whole family and includes

• creation of and access to affordable social housing
• affordable, universal, high-quality early childhood education
• economic security for families in the form of effective child benefits, accessible unemployment assistance, and a good minimum wage
• social assistance programs that don't claw back child benefits

A culture that emphasizes the well-being of children contributes to the well-being of society as a whole, providing better opportunities for health, employment, education, and community involvement for entire families in the present and for strong, resourceful, compassionate adults in the future.

The Millennium Development Goals, especially goal number 4 on reducing child mortality, call for the reduction of child mortality. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees the right to health, education, and a secure environment. The world is far from achieving these rights universally.

For more information, contact:

• Joy Kennedy
  Program Coordinator, Poverty, Wealth, and Ecological Justice
  Tel: 416-231-7680 ext. 4069
  Toll-free: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 4069
  E-mail: Joy Kennedy