*By Carleton University intern Laura-Lee MacDonald
Connections are critical to human relationships. When a person needs help, where can they go to get it? Family and friends may not always be available for many people living in poverty, especially when also faced with multiple barriers created by disability, mental illness, and addiction. These barriers not only impede their sense of inclusion, but also to advocate for themselves to gain access to available services.
My colleague, Emily Shoff, has been exploring Ottawa for her Engage Ottawa project,where she is exploring the services that cater to those who are facing these realities and are vulnerable to poverty. These organizations do important work for those in need, but are unable to stretch their budget further to pay for advertising. Making sure the organizations can connect with their intended clientele can be problematic.
The Ottawa Mission, which assists homeless and impoverished men in downtown Ottawa, has a campaign of OC Transpo bus ads that feature an opportunity for members of the public to donate to the Mission by text message. This type of advertising could also reach men on the street that see these ads as the bus goes by, and furthermore can learn about the Mission and thus seek help. Once out of the downtown core, people in suburban and rural areas must rely on phone books, web presence, storefronts, and word-of-mouth to find out what help exists.
There are many other social service agencies that help people with specific issues, and several are networked, but how does their message reach the people they target, or even just the general population? When those who need help look up information, where can they find these resources?
The frequent fall-back is to go online, for those with access and capacity. Information offered online is immense, but scattered and overwhelming, and it can be difficult to find agency networks that make it simple for a person who is struggling to find help locally. Workers in one agency may not have information about other organizations or services offered in different areas. The results are the system cracks that are so commonly referred to when lamenting those who have suffered from inadequate or absent help. Once in the cracks, it is even harder to see solutions or to have your voice heard.
Those living in poverty are rarely heard from because their participation level in the public sphere is limited by the life circumstances surrounding them. In the case of creating effective networks, programs, and policies, the lack of connection with and participation of those in poverty means a greater likelihood of poverty remaining with us. By connecting people who live in poverty with programs and resources that can help reduce the impacts, the possibility for hope and change is created.
The United Way has a service called Canada 211, a free phone service that allows more than half of the country to get in touch with a centralized referral network. It is available by phone or online in several regions across Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, and by 2013, Nova Scotia. 211 provides confidential, multilingual access to information about the full range of community, social, health and government services for non-emergency needs. Another resource, for those in Ottawa and surrounding areas (see the directory on the website), is the Community Information Centre of Ottawa. This online resource is also available in print form at most community resource and health service centres. More networks and connections these would help allow all Canadians to be as involved and participatory as they want and the eradication of poverty will be that much more a reality.
