NELSON – New Democrat MLA Michelle Mungall is proud to see a $24,461 grant from the province for the City of Nelson’s work to reduce poverty in our community.

With the economic impacts of COVID-19 being felt everywhere, including here in the Kootenays, MLA Mungall says the grant will help the City of Nelson assess the level of poverty and demand on local services, as well as undertake community engagement to write a Community Poverty Reduction Plan.

“Our NDP government believes that the best responses to poverty are built by the community,” said MLA Mungall. “That’s why we’re supporting local governments to develop responses to poverty that work for people. This initiative will add to the important poverty reduction work already being done by amazing local organizations in Nelson.”

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