Through the COVID-19 crisis, Vibrant Communities – Cities Reducing Poverty (VC–CRP) has responded to meet urgent community needs through a wide variety of mechanisms and partnerships. Our 81 members, representing 328 communities, have demonstrated creativity, commitment, and compassion as they support their communities’ most vulnerable.
Through 60 stories of innovation and resilience, Cities Reducing Poverty: Responding to COVID-19 provides a point-in-time snapshot of how CRP member communities are responding to COVID-19 across Canada and the USA.
The report was written to acknowledge the innovative efforts of CRP member communities, and to provide members with fresh ideas and insights that they can use to build resilience and strengthen their own responses.
CRP members are providing food and housing, supporting local businesses, improving access to transportation, expanding financial empowerment services, and fostering health and education. They are streamlining service delivery, coordinating information sharing, enhancing multi-sectoral partnerships, and initiating emergency response action teams. Members are also creating advocacy opportunities for fellow members to engage in key policy proposals such as Universal Basic Income.
Throughout this crisis, the ability of CRP members to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 has been evident. While COVID-19 has exacerbated social and economic inequalities, it has also built momentum for collaboration. Across Canada and the USA, multi-sectoral poverty reduction roundtables are partnering across sectors to adapt programming and to drive policy and system change in a way that ensures that nobody gets left behind.
In the coming months, as the CRP network’s focus shifts from emergency response to social recovery, our team remains committed to creating opportunities and space for members to learn and connect.
We would like to thank each of our members for sharing your stories of innovation and resilience, and for your ongoing contributions to our learning community.
Take Your Learning Further:
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Read Cities Reducing Poverty: Responding to COVID-19: Full Report and Executive Summary
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Learn more about Cities Reducing Poverty: Read the 2020 CRP membership brochure, and sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter
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Reach out to Alison Homer to learn more about CRP membership opportunities
