Delta group to tackle 'troubling signs of poverty'

Consulting at the May 16, 2022 council meeting. The action plan was passed unanimously by the council.

“Certainly, we have a lot of work to do. We can’t do the work unless we know what the problems are, and we’re starting to get to that point now,” said Delta Mayor George Harvie.

 By HANNAH ROWENA

 MONDIWA

The City of Delta is working to create a more equitable community with the recent formation of a new citizen’s group aiming to improve the lives of vulnerable residents.

A presentation on Delta’s poverty reduction strategy and action plan was given by LevelUp Planning and

At the same meeting, former Coun. Jeannie Kanakos said: “I’ve been a resident of North Delta for a long time and I think really over the last five years I’ve seen an increase in very troubling signs of poverty here.”

In 2019, the B.C. government released the first annual report of TogetherBC, the province’s poverty reduction strategy, which stated that

B.C.’s poverty rate was 8.9 per cent the previous year.

Although Delta’s population earns more than the provincial average, the municipality’s poverty rate hovers at around 10 per cent, according to city stats

“Unfortunately, racialized and Indigenous communities are more affected by poverty as well. So as these communities grow, it’s important that we’re getting their input into what it’s like in Delta, specifically for them to live, or trying to live and thrive,” said Alex Atkinson, Delta’s poverty reduction and homelessness coordinator.

Atkinson said it was important all eight members of the Delta community voices table are Delta residents with lived experience with poverty.

Their input is expected to help improve existing services in the community.

“One really big function of the table is to act as consultants, and to make sure that decisions being made are involving folks who are impacted by those decisions,” said Atkinson.

“They know what works, they know what doesn’t work. They have nuances, what it feels like, they can speak to the mental health challenges that come along with it, food insecurity.”

Delta Coun. Dylan Krueger says poverty in Delta manifests itself differently than in other cities.

“Poverty and housing struggles come in different forms in communities like Delta. I think we’re just better at recognizing that now than we used to be,” said Krueger. “And you know, you’ve got to look at Delta through a different lens than cities like Vancouver.”

Delta does not have a large population of unsheltered homeless people sleeping on the streets, Krueger said.

“But we do have a lot of people in precarious housing situations,” Krueger said. “People living on couches couch-surfing, people living in their cars, people who might be month-to-month on their rent, or they’re under-housed, they’ve got a big family, but they’re living in a space that’s too small for them.”

The Delta community voices table’s first meeting was Sunday, Feb. 26, and meetings are planned for the rest of the year.