B.C. says it will be launching employment programs for people facing complex barriers in five cities this September, beginning with Victoria.
Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcolmson made the announcement Wednesday (July 24), saying the province has committed close to $4 million to the initiative.
The programs will be run by community services out of Victoria, Vancouver's downtown eastside, Surrey, Prince George and Nanaimo.
Malcolmson noted that B.C.'s total poverty rate fell 45 per cent between 2016 and 2021, the most recent year they have reported on, but added that she knows many British Columbians continue to struggle. That same report found 447,000 residents lived in poverty in 2021.
“A lot of people are hurting," she said. "Things are terribly hard right now.”
Malcolmson said things are especially difficult for people facing complex barriers to employment, such as unstable housing, mental health or health challenges and substance use challenges. The new employment programs will offer supports in all of those areas, Malcolmson said.
Some of those could include subsidized or fully-funded schooling, mental health and addictions supports, and financial aid for child care and food.
Melissa Hoffmann, a single mother of three who spoke at the announcement, said the financial supports she received through similar programs at Beacon Community Services in Greater Victoria allowed her to become an early childhood educator.
"I humbly acknowledge the hard work I put in to make this happen, but without these programs, I would not be in the position I am today. These new services can help people with even more complex challenges."
The service providers for the Victoria project have already been selected and are ready to launch in September. Programs in the other four B.C. communities are expected to begin around the same time, with service providers for them set to be chosen in August.
Wednesday's announcement is the latest in B.C.'s 2024 Poverty Reduction Strategy, which commits to cutting the overall provincial poverty rate by 60 per cent over the next decade. That includes a 75 per cent reduction in child poverty and a 50 per cent cut in seniors' poverty.
