COURTENAY – New Democrat MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard says that a $100,000 grant in provincial funding to help local government boost supports for vulnerable and low-income people in the Comox Valley.

“Tackling poverty is no easy task,” said Leonard, MLA for Courtenay-Comox. “Our government is committed to working with our partners in order to actively break the cycle of poverty so that people and families can grow and thrive.”

The grant is being awarded to the Comox Valley Regional District and MLA Leonard says the funding will assist in the development of a local poverty reduction assessment and strategy that will address priorities such as housing, families, children and youth, income supports and social supports.

The local investment is part of the Poverty Reduction Planning and Action Program which will empower 54 local governments across the province, through 29 projects, to develop poverty reduction plans that directly support people in their communities.

The 29 projects are receiving a total of $1.4 million, from a $5 million provincial grant to the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM), with individual project funding ranging from $16,000 to $150,000. The grant is part of the New Democrat government’s commitment to partner with local governments and communities in poverty reduction initiatives, as part of TogetherBC, B.C.’s first poverty reduction strategy.

Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020SDPR0032-000990