This page provides resources that argue for framing poverty as a complex – rather than simple issue – and the implications for place-based efforts. It offers research and techniques that might assist a local group more strategically craft their “working definition” of poverty.
How a group frames poverty and poverty reduction will shape who is – and is not involved – in the change effort, where the group looks for causes to address, their selection of strategies, how success is measured and evaluated, and how they communicate their work. As new members come and go, and the context in which they work changes, their framing of poverty will change.
On this page you’ll find:
Understanding Poverty As A Complex Issues & Why That Matters for Place-Based Initiatives - A paper by the Tamarack Institute that explores the implications for place-based efforts to reduce poverty using the lens of complexity. Coming Soon.
The Poverty Matrix: Understanding Poverty in Your Community - This tool from helps you to map poverty in your community and to assess where to focus your poverty reduction efforts. Access the tool here.
Gender and Poverty Project - An action-research project that involved six communities to examine poverty from a gender perspective and its implications for poverty reduction strategies. The final report also includes three components for a toolkit for gender analysis: tools, research reviews and case studies. Access the report here.
The Poverty Experience - A workshop designed to assist groups to deepen their understanding of the challenges of community participation while living in poverty. Created by the Quality of Life CHALLENGE, it uses an innovative methodology that provides an opportunity to experience poverty through a variety of simulations. Read more about it here.
Measuring Poverty: Ontario's Deprivation Index - This session will explore the research process and development of the Ontario Deprivation Index. A ‘deprivation index’ is a list of items which are widely seen as necessary for a household to have a standard of living above the poverty level. Almost all households not in poverty will have all these items, but households in poverty are likely to find some of them unaffordable. By asking whether a household can afford all the items on the list, we can identify those that are poor. Michael Mendelson will discuss the community-based research process used to develop the ‘list’ for Ontario. Michael will also discuss working with the Government of Ontario to include the deprivation index as one of the indicators for the Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy. Access the seminar here.
Framing Poverty as a Complex Issue - In the first seminar of the Foundation series, Liz Weaver and Mark Cabaj make the case for framing poverty as a complex issue, describe key features of complex issues, and explore the implications for leading and managing a community-wide effort to reduce poverty. Access the seminar here.
Less Poverty and More Vibrant Communities - In the first seminar of the Measuring Community Change series, Liz Weaver and Lidia Kemeny discuss Vital Signs. Vital Signs is one approach contained in metrics papers developed by Vibrant Communities as part of the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Community Capacity Series. Access the seminar here.
More Collaboration and Citizen Engagement - In the second seminar of the Measuring Community Change series, Liz Weaver interviews Lynne Slotek about the Canadian Index of Well-being (CIW). The CIW is a measurement approach to determine changes in the quality of life and wellbeing of citizens and communities. Access the seminar here.
Poverty and Poverty Reduction - A three part online seminar series that explores different ways to frame poverty and poverty reduction initiatives as well as the implications for communication, planning and evaluation. Also describes a new framework that weaves together elements of several common frameworks. Access the seminar here.
Working With Complex Issues - An online seminar with Brenda Zimmerman that explores the implications for leadership and management of efforts to tackle complex issues. The seminar gives an introduction to complexity science and complex adaptive systems and explores nine connected principles for working with complexity. Access the seminar here.
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