A community approach to poverty reduction
Everyone has a role to play in poverty reduction. In late 2016, Public Health Sudbury & Districts (Public Health) in partnership with agencies across Greater Sudbury, one of Ontario’s Local Poverty Reduction Fund grants (Government of Ontario). The pilot for this project lasted from January 2017 to September 2020.
The pilot project had numerous successes, including demonstrating the importance of building relationships, trust, and connections between people from all income levels to support individuals and families working to exit poverty. It also underscored the importance of community and social supports and how everyone can make a difference.
Circles Sudbury: Progress report and final report
Read the progress report and the final report to learn more about the local implementation and evaluation of the three programs connected with Circles Sudbury. More information about Circles Canada can be found at circlescanada.com.
This project was possible due to tremendous partnerships over the years, including agencies that formed the Partners to End Poverty Steering Committee. Details on all partners involved are available in the Circles Sudbury reports. Public Health is also grateful for the key supports provided by the City of Greater Sudbury, including maintaining Circles Sudbury programming at the completion of the pilot project period until the fall of 2022.
About Circles Sudbury
The grant allowed us to focus on implementing and evaluating the introduction of two new programs in Greater Sudbury that are both licensed through Circles Canada:
- Circles
- Circles Leader Training
The Bridges out of Poverty training initiative was also connected with this grant.
These programs are no longer being offered in Sudbury. More information about the programs and Circles Canada can be found at circlescanada.com.
Circles videos
Several videos were created in connection with the Circles Sudbury initiative. The first video features experiences of a participant (Leader) and a volunteer (Ally) in the program. This video illustrates the importance of building relationships, trust, and connections between people from all income levels to support individuals and families working to exit poverty.
The second Circles Sudbury video features the stories and hopes of participants that connected with the Circles Sudbury initiative. This video demonstrates the importance of community and social supports and how everyone can make a difference.
Intersectoral action to tackle community issues
Each year through the Circles program, Circles Leaders, Allies, and staff worked collaboratively to identify a key issue or community barrier to focus on as a collective. Locally, through Circles Sudbury, the first event was the Greater Sudbury Poverty Challenge. The Greater Sudbury Poverty Challenge focused on the need for greater compassion, understanding the realities of living in poverty, and about the challenges of service navigation. The second event, Fighting Stigma and Finding Support, focused on mental health supports and access to affordable housing.
Greater Sudbury Poverty Challenge
The Greater Sudbury Poverty Challenge event was designed to raise awareness about the realities of living in poverty and to reaffirm the commitment to poverty reduction. Learn more about the poverty simulation event held in December 2018.
Fighting Stigma and Finding Support
The Fighting Stigma and Finding Support event aimed to raise public awareness about the stigma and discrimination faced by individuals with mental health conditions, and the importance of social supports. The event saw participants share real life stories and challenges of accessing mental health supports, securing affordable housing, and living in low income in our community from the voices of those most affected.
The event included a lecture from mental health advocate Amy Willans and an interactive Photovoice art exhibit produced by participants (Leaders) in the Circles program.
Learn more about the Fighting Stigma and Finding Support event, held on March 11, 2020.
This item was last modified on June 26, 2023