CFICE’s Poverty Reduction Hub

Community Co-Lead
Natasha Pei, Community Animator at
Vibrant Communities

Academic Co-lead
Karen Schwartz, Associate Professor at Carleton University

In Phase I, the Poverty Reduction (PR) hub studied how different players tackled poverty through community-campus partnerships. The goal was to understand how people from different areas of the community could work together to address the root causes of poverty.

In collaboration with several community partners, the PR hub funded community-driven demonstration projects and provided research support aimed at reducing poverty.

The PR hub worked from the position that poverty is:

  • Difficult to define in numbers
  • Rooted in multiple overlapping causes
  • Not always visible
  • Unique in the ways it affects people’s lives depending on their specific situation

In addition, poverty:

  • Varies across demographics and local contexts
  • Shifts as demographics, policies, economies, and contexts change
  • Cannot be single-handedly reduced or solved by individuals – the solution takes a community!

Check out the PR Hub’s Partners.
See the PR Hub’s bibliography.

Poverty Hub News, Resources, and Research

Check out the PR Hub’s news, resources, and research below.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Video: Affordable Housing and Community-Campus Partnerships In Canada Webinar Recording

On June 26, 2019, CFICE and Community Campus Engage Canada (CCEC), in collaboration with New Commons Development, presented Affordable Housing and Community-Campus Partnerships In Canada: Growing the Potential Role (and Response-Ability) of Post Secondary Institutions (PSIs) to Increase Affordable Housing. This webinar explored the affordable... More

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

NEW BOOK: Moving the Needle on Poverty

As one of its last projects, members of the Poverty Reduction Hub collaborated to assemble and self-publish a new book titled Moving the needle on poverty: Snapshots of community-campus partnerships. This book includes chapters from each of the hub's partners, and outlines the different models of engagement used by each partnership to complete... More

Friday, April 5, 2019

Join the CCEC Steering Committee — Apply by April 22, 2019

Call for Applications - Community Campus Engage Canada (CCEC) Steering Committee The mission of Community Campus Engage Canada (CCEC) is to contribute to thriving, just, and sustainable societies by growing connections, capacity, and infrastructure for community-driven collaboration with post-secondary institutions across Canada. CCEC emerges... More

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A conversation about disability in the workplace

Conversations about disability in the workplace are long overdue. In this lively podcast, CFICE team members Kristina Reed, Kawsar Mohamed, and Nicole Bedford have a frank conversation about the challenges and rewards of being open to sharing, listening, and working together to make workplaces more accessible to all. Access a PDF version of the... More

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Tackling poverty, Gender Based Violence and human rights

by Alexandra Zannis, CFICE Communications Volunteer “But why human rights?” I am often asked this question when I say that I work for an anti-poverty organization that champions ending poverty through a human rights framework. Why are human rights so important when we talk about ending poverty in Canada? And who are we talking... More

Monday, July 30, 2018

Academic Article: Projective Technique Reveals Unconscious Attitudes about Poverty in Canada

CFICE Poverty Reduction hub partners have recently published an article in the Journal of Poverty titled, Projective Technique Reveals Unconscious Attitudes about Poverty in Canada. Terry Mitchell, Colleen Loomis, Alexia Polillo, Brooke Fry, and Mary Mackeigan worked with CFICE as part of the Poverty Reduction hub's Phase I project on shifting... More

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Call for Presenters: Canadian Rural and Remote Housing and Homelessness Symposium 2018 — Apply by June 22, 2018

The Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN) would like to invite you to attend the Canadian Rural and Remote Housing and Homelessness Symposium 2018, which will be held October 24-26, 2018 in Canmore, Alberta. The Alberta Rural Development Network, in conjunction with the Alberta Rural Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ARCH2), is proud... More

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

The Benefits of Working with Post-Secondary Institutions

by Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications Research Assistant Entering into a partnership with post-secondary institutions (PSIs) can open a lot of doors for community-based organizations (CBOs), including access to certain funding opportunities, increased capacity, and the creation of new and collaborative networks with shared goals. CCE partnerships... More

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

What is Community-Campus Engagement?

by Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications RA Taking a community first approach to community-campus engagement (CCE) is a cornerstone to the work CFICE does, but it’s impossible to be community first without the input and participation of community organizations. Community-based organizations (CBOs) such as non-profit, non-governmental, or charitable... More

Thursday, May 17, 2018

The ABCs of CCE: Sharing Power

By Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications RA This is part three of a three-part series on the ABC’s of CCE Partnerships, where we share some of the most important things to keep in mind when engaging in a CCE Partnership. Here, we’ve identified some strategies for sharing power. This article draws from interviews and focus... More

Friday, May 11, 2018

The ABCs of CCE: Sharing Resources

By Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications RA This is part two of a three-part series on the ABC’s of CCE Partnerships, where we share some of the most important things to keep in mind when engaging in a CCE Partnership. Here, we’ve identified some strategies for sharing resources in a way that empowers the community... More

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

The ABCs of CCE: Sharing Responsibilities

By Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications RA This is part one of a three-part series on the ABC’s of CCE Partnerships, where we share some of the most important things to keep in mind when engaging in a CCE Partnership. Here, we’ve identified some of the main things we’ve found important to consider when taking... More

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Report: Impacting Community Strength and Sustainability: CCE and Poverty Reduction at Station 20 West

In Phase I of the Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project, the Poverty Reduction hub partnered with Station 20 West. Together, they worked on a project that examined community-campus engagement (CCE) at the Station 20 West Community Enterprise Centre. The study explored the effectiveness of the CCE partnership and the... More

Friday, June 23, 2017

Developing Collective Impact Strategies, New Article from Tamarack

How do we ensure our collective impact strategies are viable and leveraged toward success? What criteria can we use to establish whether our strategies address the overall direction and outcomes we're hoping to achieve? Tamarack has the answers to these questions in their new article, released today. This article – Developing Collective Impact... More

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

National Aboriginal Day: Reconciliation key to reducing poverty

by Leah Piehler, CFICE Volunteer June 21st is National Aboriginal Day in Canada. Established in 1996, National Aboriginal Day is about recognizing and celebrating the unique and diverse heritage, cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. In order to fully recognize and appreciate Indigenous peoples, CFICE Poverty... More

Thursday, June 15, 2017

The Centre for Studies on Poverty and Social Citizenship Releases CBR Report

One of CFICE’s partnering organizations, The Centre for Studies on Poverty and Social Citizenship (CSPSC), is excited to release the final report for its first community-based research project. With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Seed Grant program, The Somali Centre for Family Services of Ottawa (SCFS) invited Carleton... More

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Paying employees a living wage is good for business

by Leah Piehler, CFICE Volunteer Businesses in Hamilton, Ont., are proving that a living wage is a win-win for both employees and employers. The current minimum wage doesn’t guarantee a decent quality of life for workers. It focusses mainly on survival needs, but people need more than just food and shelter to live a... More

Friday, May 12, 2017

CFICE Supported Research featured in Handbook of Community Well-Being Research

The Handbook of Community Well-Being Research brings together foundational and leading-edge research exploring dimensions of improving quality of life in communities of place. It explores social indicators and other assessment techniques including from the framework of community perspectives which is concerned with enhancing quality of life for... More

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Radio Documentary: Partnering for Change

The Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project has accomplished alot in the first four years of the project. In Partnering for Change, a radio documentary created by CFICE volunteer Julie Bourassa, CFICE partners reflect on the personal and community impacts the CFICE project has had in Phase I. Download a PDF copy... More

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Call for Submissions: Canadian Poverty Hub

The Canadian Poverty Institute and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness are pleased to announce the launch of the Canadian Poverty Hub, which will be available in April 2017. The Canadian Poverty Hub will be an online repository of relevant research with respect to the causes and impacts of poverty, as well as policies and best... More

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Poverty Is…

Poverty means a lot of things to a lot of different people. So does poverty reduction. We challenge YOU to think about what poverty means to you. What can you do to help eliminate poverty? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter! https://youtu.be/qZRp12JscmU This video was created by the CFICE Poverty Reduction hub.... More

Monday, November 28, 2016

Plain Language Podcast: Using CCE to Build Capacity for Poverty Reduction

This plain language podcast provides a summary of Amanda Lefrancois’ report titled Using Campus Community Engagement to Build Capacity for Poverty Reduction. This research was conducted in partnership with Pathway to Potential and CFICE. It explores levels of poverty in the Windsor-Essex County and possible resource networks to reduce... More

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Poverty Reduction: Community-based research haikus

by Aaron Kozak, CFICE Poverty Reduction Hub RA   1) Power from the sidewalk up you can see the umbrella umbrella sees sun   2) Capitalism money builds access like a bridge on fire behind don’t ever look back   3) Co-creation a leaky basement everyone with different skills we can plug the holes... More

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Partners in Action: Living SJ

by Keegan Hughes, CFICE Volunteer The Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project collaborates with many community partners in order to best serve Canadians. Using a community-first approach allows the project to reach many people in ways that other strategies could not. That is why a partnership with Living SJ, an... More

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Plain Language Podcast: Living wage effects on employees’ attitudes

This plain language podcast is based on an article titled A study of living wage effects on employees' performance-related attitudes and behaviour by Zhaocheng Zeng and Benson Honig. In this article, the authors discuss the different attitudes towards their jobs held by living wage employees versus minimum wage employees. Download a copy of... More

Friday, August 19, 2016

Presentation: Student Experiences with Community-Campus Engagement

Three Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) research assistants (RAs), two from the Poverty Reduction Hub (Amanda Lefrancois and Aaron Kozak) and one from the Secretariat (Omar Elsharkawy), teamed up to present a student perspective of community-based post-secondary education at the Canadian Alliance for Community Service... More

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Partners in Action: Pathway to Potential

  by Amy Richardson, CFICE Communications RA The Community First: Impacts of Community (CFICE) project works closely with it’s community partners to deliver a community first approach. One of those partners is Pathway to Potential, an organization committed to reducing and preventing poverty in the Windsor/Essex community of Ontario and a... More

Monday, June 6, 2016

Presentation: Innovative Partnerships Shift the Poverty Dynamic

Community-campus engagement is offered and encouraged in many higher education organizations. This presentation by Donna Jean Forster-Gill, from Vibrant Communities Canada and Tom Cooper from the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction (Poverty Hub community partners) seeks to analyze these programs and explore ways to maximize their usefulness... More

Friday, May 20, 2016

Improving the health of children in Saskatchewan

One of the CFICE Poverty Reduction (PR) Hub partner organizations is the Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR), which is based out of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. One report co-authored by members of CUISR outlines a strategic communications plan to engage provincial community leaders in Saskatchewan across the... More

Friday, May 13, 2016

How to Maintain Your Garden

by Carly Foubert, CFICE Volunteer You’ve planted your garden, now what? Gardening is an excellent and rewarding hands-on learning experience. It’s also a great way to contribute to environmental sustainability and will help save money along the way. Whether it’s a community garden or one in your own backyard, gardening is also a fantastic... More

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Building a Community with Homes for All

by Omar Elsharkawy, CFICE Admin RA April 21st marked Ottawa’s Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH) researcher community networking event titled “Building a Community with Homes for all”. The event took place at Pressed Café in Ottawa and was free and open to the public. The Alliance is a member-driven non-profit organization, representing... More

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Tips for Starting Your Own Community Garden

by Omar Elsharkawy, CFICE Admin RA As explored in the last blog post, gardening has many benefits. Gardening and growing your own food increases community food security, contributes to environmental sustainability, and will help you save money. In addition, community gardening contributes to a greater sense of community for the people involved.... More

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

‘Tis the season for gardening!

by Omar Elsharkawy, CFICE Admin RA Summer is almost upon us. Time to stop worrying about shovelling your driveway and start thinking about gardening. What better way to start gardening than by joining (or starting your own) community garden with your neighbors and fellow community members? For those who don’t know, community gardens are... More

Friday, April 8, 2016

Living Saint John’s Social Renewal Strategy

One of the Poverty Reduction Hub partners, Living Saint John, has developed a Social Renewal Strategy that outlines four social priorities they are developing in conjunction with community partnerships. These priorities include transforming low-income neighbourhoods into vibrant communities with mixed incomes, closing the gap in educational... More

Monday, March 14, 2016

We want to hear from YOU!

Have your say. Take our survey! Have you heard? CFICE is making some exciting new changes! As was proposed in our initial SSHRC application, CFICE is getting ready to transition to Phase II of our work. In order to transition smoothly, we want to hear from YOU regarding how you might want to be... More

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