We are part of a Coalition on Poverty in Greater Vancouver formed by the Jewish Community in February 2001 after a SPARC report indicated 17% of the 25,000 Jews in the lower mainland live in poverty. These include seniors, recent immigrants, people with special needs, and single parents.

Coalition initiatives have included provision of free tickets to religious and cultural events, creation of a community kitchen and community garden, research on affordable housing, setting up a poverty endowment fund, and disseminating information through our website.

While we have taken steps to alleviate the hardships of poverty in our community, we are concerned about the negative effects of recent provincial government cutbacks such as those to income assistance, services to the disabled, home care, daycare subsidies, health care services, educational support services, and legal aid.

We call upon our MLA to review the degree of hardship the cutbacks have caused to those with minimal personal and financial resources. We ask that appropriate services and programs be re-introduced to decrease unnecessary suffering.

Contact person for Vancouver-Kensington section - Larry Kazdan

We also encourage concerned individuals to
e-mail Patrick Wong MLA and the Premier
(Text provided - edit as required)

If the pop-up text does not work on your computer, you may wish to copy, paste and send the following text to Patrick Wong and Gordon Campbell ([email protected] and [email protected]).

Dear Patrick Wong and Premier Campbell - I share the concerns of the Coalition on Poverty in the Jewish Community about the effects of provincial government cutbacks in health, education, and various support programs. I urge your Government to work with community organizations such as the Coalition, and to reintroduce programs and services needed to minimize unnecessary hardships. I look forward to your positive response.

Thank you. (Your name and location)

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GRASSROOTS REACTION SITE - Vancouver-Kensington

E-mail [email protected] to join the Grassroots network.

URL: http://www.vcn.bc.ca/grsvk/copo.html