CASE STUDY | Niagara Region's Poverty Reduction Strategy: Working Together to Prevent and End Poverty and Increase Well-Being in Niagara

The Tamarack Institute is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to ending poverty in all its forms, for good. We support real people and invest in real communities for long-term change.

This case study was co-authored by Marc Todd (Niagara Region), Lisa Gallant (Niagara Region), and Maureen Owens (Tamarack Institute).

This case study unpacks the conditions that have led to the success of Niagara Region’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – specifically around its community engagement efforts.

Land Acknowledgement

Niagara Region is situated on treaty land. This land is steeped in the rich history of the First Nations such as the Hatiwendaronk, the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. There are many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples from across Turtle Island who live and work in Niagara today. The Regional Municipality of Niagara stands with all Indigenous Peoples, past and present, in promoting the wise stewardship of the lands on which we live. The Regional Municipality of Niagara is committed to equity and respect for all by ensuring Indigenous voices are heard and included in our plans and programs. In addition, we are committed to eradicating anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination within our community.

Why Niagara Needed a Poverty Reduction Strategy

Following the pandemic and the growth of the Niagara Region, it was apparent that the needs of its communities had changed over time. The Region decided to review the opportunities, challenges, and limitations of its current program model and its operational practices. As noted by sources such as Citizens for Public Justice, there is no simple way to tackle the problem of systemic poverty. A poverty reduction strategy lays a foundation to build a community of best practices; it identifies gaps and leverages local knowledge. For this reason, Niagara Region, in partnership with its community, is taking a multi-pronged approach that collectively addresses economics, employment, housing, health and wellness, stigma, and social inclusion as equal pieces.    

Geography

The Niagara Region is located between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario (see map below). The area includes the municipalities of Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet, Welland, and West Lincoln.

Municipalities in the Niagara Region

Source: Niagara Region’s website

Poverty Rates

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Strategy outlines the state of poverty in Niagara. From 2016 to 2021, the percentage of individuals living in low-income, according to the low-income measure, after tax (LIM-AT), decreased across all age groups except among those aged 65 years and over, among whom it stayed the same.

However, to fully comprehend the state of poverty in Niagara, it is important to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2016, before the start of the pandemic, 14.5 per cent of Niagara’s population was living in poverty (64,944 people). In 2021, however, Statistics Canada reported that Niagara had 10.4 per cent of people living in poverty (49,706 people). 

The National Advisory Council on Poverty’s 2023 report titled Blueprint for Transformation indicated that the temporary increase in government transfers available during the pandemic influenced the 2021 poverty statistics. This growth in income protected people from falling into poverty and helped lift many people out of poverty. In Niagara, 15,238 people temporarily moved out of poverty, a change of four percentage points (a decrease of 39%) from 2016 to 2021. This information reconciles with what local service providers saw as well. For example, food banks reported a drop in visits during that time; however, since 2021 – which is when the increased government transfers from the pandemic stopped – use of food banks has significantly increased from pre-pandemic visits. This suggests that income-based solutions are key to reducing poverty.

As cautioned by the National Advisory Council on Poverty in the same report, the phasing out of the COVID-19 income supports alongside higher inflation and increasing cost of living mean that poverty rates have likely increased in 2024, since their 2023 reporting. It is important to keep this context in mind when comparing the poverty rate to earlier years.

Introducing a poverty reduction strategy

In June 2021, a team at Brock University prepared a report for Niagara Region to analyze the impacts, outcomes, and efficacy of the Niagara Prosperity Initiative (NPI), a grant funding program.

Titled Connecting the Pieces, the Brock Report found that NPI-funded projects helped alleviate individual social and economic costs associated with poverty and stimulated new thinking by non-profit organizations about ways to prevent poverty. However, due to the complex nature of poverty and the short timeframe of any funded project, significant changes to community well-being were unlikely to occur.

The Brock Report provided five recommendations: 

1. Develop a comprehensive Niagara Region poverty reduction strategy 
2. Increase investment in poverty reduction 
3. Make deliberate investments and provide a model of longer funding terms
4. Guide investments with enhanced research
5. Design all services for social inclusion aligned with poverty reduction priorities

Niagara Regional Council approved plans to develop a local poverty reduction strategy in 2021, the same year the Brock Report was released. 

Community Engagement

Building the Strategy was a collaborative effort that involved many dedicated individuals and groups. The Poverty Reduction Steering Committee played a pivotal role in developing the strategy with Niagara Region staff and will continue to guide and champion implementation. The Strategy aligns with Niagara Regional Council's Strategic Priorities, Niagara’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, and many other regional plans. (See: Strategy at a Glace, page 1)

Over 1,000 residents informed the strategy, including people living in poverty. Residents talked about an ideal future state, challenges, strengths, and actions.

Photo: Image from a brainstorming session in the Niagara Region around questions like "What would life be like if everyone had a liveable wage?"

Several Indigenous organizations exist in Niagara. The team worked closely with staff from the Niagara Regional Native Centre who led Indigenous engagement. Over 200 Indigenous people gave input about what Indigenous prosperity would look like. 

Community Wisdom

More than 100 experts working in the field used the local knowledge gathered from the community engagement combined with best practices to inform draft recommendations. 

Collaborations

The team coordinated with existing municipal groups (for example, those focused on housing and accessibility) and partnered with organizations such as the United Way to create an online survey. Public engagement sessions were held across the local area municipalities to ensure widespread community engagement. Staff went where people were already meeting, such as local food banks, regional housing sites, libraries and community health centres, to discuss poverty and held open forums.

Findings from Community Engagement

• Post-pandemic needs were unprecedented, highlighting deeper poverty issues than before. The Brock Report's second recommendation emphasizes the need for increased investments to address this issue.

• The most effective strategies to engage people with lived expertise included relying on "champions" (community leaders) to personally invite and host small discussions, making sessions open and accessible. It was important to give clarity on the forum's purpose—whether for input or collaboration.

• The Strategy is careful not to name measures of change or specific actions for Indigenous prosperity. Instead, it highlights the need to bring any proposed actions back to Indigenous leaders to develop further.

• Follow-up is important to building trust. The interim report captured insights and themes from the community conversations and allowed participants to see that their input was documented. People want to be validated and see that what they say is being heard and used toward solutions. 
  
  

Areas of Focus

The Steering Committee made up of elected officials, municipal staff, people with lived expertise, Indigenous leaders, and other community leaders – essentially the community’s voice in the process – selected eight ‘Areas of Focus’:

• Indigenous Well-Being

• Housing

• Income

• Employment

• Food Security

• Early Child Development

• Transportation

• Mental Health and Addiction

Each Area of Focus has a recommendation and a set of actions. The 30 actions listed in the strategy report are supported by research; consider impact, effort, and community support to make them happen; and align with Niagara Regional Council priorities.

One hundred actions emerged from community conversations and even though not named in the formal report, they are listed on the website. Niagara Region staff and members of the Poverty Reduction Steering Committee will work with community champions to explore ways to track the actions. This work is referred to as the 100 Actions Workplan.

Building Blocks

During engagement, residents identified essential conditions needed to end and prevent poverty in Niagara Region. These conditions for change affect how we incorporate actions in the Poverty Reduction Strategy’s recommendations throughout the Areas of Focus:

• Service access, coordination, and capacity: Bringing people together to strengthen local resources

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Ensuring DEI is integrated throughout the process

• Leveraging Voices of Lived Experience (LE): Ensuring the perspectives of people with lived experiences of poverty are heard and incorporated

• Changing mindsets: Addressing how poverty is viewed in the community

• Advocacy: Pushing for systemic changes and raising awareness

• Funding: Ensuring resources are available for key initiatives

Implementation Actions

Implementing a poverty reduction strategy is a complex and ongoing process that requires commitment and adaptability. Several key actions taken by Niagara Region ensure it is effective and sustainable: 

• Sharing the Strategy: Staff and the Steering Committee actively engage with community groups to promote and present the Strategy. Implementation relies on the work of many interested and affected parties. The community must see themselves as recipients and active participants in the strategy, understanding their vital role in its success.

• Reassuring Commitment: All strategy-related actions are posted on the website, ensuring transparency. More importantly, the team remains committed to ongoing dialogue, a testament to dedication to building trust and valuing community input.

• Funding Decisions: The Niagara Prosperity Initiative uses the Strategy to determine funding priorities, aligning it with community feedback and best practices. Based on this feedback, gaps and opportunities for impactful investments were identified. The Brock Report’s recommendation for multi-year funding is being operationalized to allow for a deeper dive into projects.

• Good Grants Platform: This tool streamlines the grant application process, making it easier for organizations to apply for funding.

• Ongoing Coordination: The team continues to monitor actions that align with the work of other regional departments and groups whose plans align with the Poverty Reduction Strategy. For example, staff are working with the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network, a group of independent residents, businesses, and organizations deeply committed to wiping out poverty and pushing advocacy and mindset-changing efforts forward. (The network plans to leverage actions related to advocacy outlined in the Niagara Poverty Reduction Strategy to advance its work.)
  
  

Products

By consistently sharing back what was heard and how it’s being used, a stronger, more trusting relationship with the community has emerged. This approach enhances the effectiveness of the Strategy and empowers the community to be active participants in their own development.

• The Interim Report outlines the results of community engagement in Niagara Region. Engagement focused on the following questions in the community: 
  
  • What would life be like if everyone had a liveable income? 
  • What are the biggest challenges faced by people living in poverty? 
  • What are some helpful program services? 
  • What do you think should be done to help people living in poverty?
     It is rich with quotes, stories, and priorities from the community.
    
    
• The Final Report was endorsed by Niagara Regional Council in March 2024.
  
  
• The 100 Actions Plan is flexible and will be updated regularly based on community feedback. The 100 Actions are found under "Areas of Focus and actions." 
  
  
• The Strategy at a Glance provides a two-page overview of the Strategy and shows how the Strategy aligns with work already happening.
  
  
• A Video produced on the Niagara Poverty Reduction Strategy features a person with lived expertise of poverty discussing how they gave input on the Strategy. This allows viewers who learn about the Strategy to hear about the benefits of it from a person with lived expertise.
  
  

Evaluation

The Strategy outlines several significant and long-term indicators to reduce the overall impacts of poverty. These include decreasing the number and percentage of people who:

• Live in poverty

• Work but still live in poverty

• Experience homelessness

• Live in food-insecure households

• Experience financial stress as a primary concern

In addition to these population measures, the Strategy focuses on smaller-scale outcomes essential to building confidence in the progress of the strategy. These measures can encourage continued funding and support from local government and inform continuous quality improvement. 

To keep the Strategy adaptive and effective, the team will engage implementation champions, such as members of the Niagara Poverty Reduction Network and collaboratives funded through the Niagara Prosperity Initiative, to facilitate conversations and gather feedback from clients and communities. Engaging such groups is essential to capture qualitative and quantitative measures to track the Strategy's progress and demonstrate the story of change in the community.

This approach ensures that the large-scale population goals and smaller, measurable successes help shape and refine the poverty reduction plan over time.

Tamarack Institute Tools and Resources

The following list of Tamarack Institute resources and tools guided the development of products listed below:

• TOOL | The Community Engagement Planning Canvas (tamarackcommunity.ca)  was used to identify the purpose of the consultation and give people a voice, which was then articulated in the plan.

• TOOL | Top 100 Engagement (tamarackcommunity.ca) allowed the team to divide interested and affected parties by sector. The tool provides a bird' s-eye view of which sectors they are coming from and determines if some are missing. The tool built champions in certain areas, capturing individuals and organizations to build a list.

• TOOL | The Gives, Gets & Constraints (tamarackcommunity.ca) tool was used to create a Mentimeter to give people a chance to articulate, in their own words, what they're offering in the implementation phase and what they can get out of it

• The  Guide for Building a Sustainable and Resilient Collaboration (tamarackcommunity.ca) was used when working with collaboratives to identify where they needed to grow, what they needed to pay attention to, and how to strengthen what's already strong

• Tamarack's Collective Impact Toolkit (tamarackcommunity.ca) 

• Poverty Reduction Research articles (listed in the Strategy's reference section). 

Summary

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Strategy is a community-driven initiative shaped by people whose lives and experiences are often underrepresented in community plans. The secret to success lies in relationships built during strategy development that continue to grow during implementation. For example, Niagara Region, had support from Regional Councillors, Regional staff across the Corporation, Indigenous leaders, people with lived expertise and numerous champions across Niagara from many different sectors (e.g., non-profits, businesses, institutions). The Region’s steering committee played a crucial role in guiding the process, kick-started the implementation phase, and continues to steer the Region towards success. 

Deepen Your Learning

• Read the impact report from the Communities Ending Poverty network in 2023, which includes this story.