Pen Points - End Poverty, Not Just Alleviate It!

Camrose city council and Camrose residents are being urged to support a petition being circulated by Action To End Poverty In Alberta. The petition urges the Alberta government to adopt, support and legislate poverty reduction targets and deadlines. During the presentation, Margaret Holliston, director of Camrose and District Social Services, said, “We need to address what is causing the poverty ... not just respond to it once it is there. The goal is to eliminate it, not just alleviate it.”

Surely everyone would enthusiastically support the notion of actually ending poverty rather than just alleviating it. We can all see that ending poverty would be less costly than continually dealing with the consequences of it: increased illness among children, school absenteeism leading to inadequate education, lack of skill training, unemployment, homelessness, diminished opportunity to help oneself, increased and/or total dependence on public and other social benefits.

We, the public, can see for ourselves, and studies confirm, that almost every educated person has a job. Those who lack literacy, numeracy and/or academic or trade skills are most likely to be unemployed; often they endure poor health as well, and are at greater risk of being involved in crime.

The solution to ending poverty would seem to be providing an education to everyone. In Alberta, the cutoff for universal schooling is high school completion. At one time that would get a job and, with added hands-on experience, would enable one to provide for a family. Today, it’s almost imperative that one have some post-secondary education to get a job –  and that is unaffordable to many youths in poor families.

While education is obviously fundamental to ending poverty, more is required because the problem is complex. The world-beloved Mother Teresa reminded us that there is also another kind of poverty. She said: “We think that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

So what is the state of family life in our homes? In most of them it is deemed to be healthy; they are loving and secure havens for peaceful and respectful co-existence. When divorce rates in Canada were about 40%, we knew that the result was often children living in poverty, most often with their mothers. Latest statistics reveal that divorce rates are declining because couples have opted for living common-law rather than marrying. We don’t have statistics on break-up of those arrangements and the overall welfare of those families. We do know that teenage sexual activity resulting in unplanned pregnancies are often accompanied by poverty.

Over time, we have learned that simply giving people money and educational opportunities has not always ended poverty. There are a number of persons who do not or cannot learn when they go to school and cannot manage money when they have it. At present, we do have programs intended to be helpful in this regard. Even though not always successful, we must keep trying and some day we may stumble upon new ways that work better. In the meantime, these persons must not be abandoned.

The objective of Action to End Poverty in Alberta is worthy of support. It’s easy to add your name to the petition at www.actiontoendpovertyinalberta.org/ . In addition, may each of us do whatever possible to provide a loving and caring home, school and community environment that will help needy persons learn to help themselves!