Saskatchewan launches new poverty reduction strategy

REGINA – The government released a strategy Wednesday they hope will cut the poverty rate in half.

The Saskatchewan Poverty Reduction strategy contains a number of initiatives to benefit people affected by poverty, and aims to reduce the number of residents who experience poverty for two years or more by 50 per cent by the end of 2025.

READ MORE: Recommendations made to cut Saskatchewan’s poverty rate in half

“The Saskatchewan Poverty Reduction Strategy is an important document that will guide us as we work to improve the circumstances for low-income Saskatchewan citizens,” Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer said.

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“Although Saskatchewan has one of the lowest rates of poverty in the country, our government knows that there is more work to do. We will work with community-based organizations, the Federal Government, and individuals across the province to ensure that there are supports and services available to help citizens improve their quality of life and find a way out of poverty.”

The Saskatchewan Poverty Reduction Strategy will focus on the following six key areas for action:

1. Income security
2. Housing and homelessness
3. Early childhood development and child care
4. Education, skills training and employment
5. Health and food security
6. Vulnerable families and individuals

The province also stated that they will focus their early efforts in three areas:

• Implementing a Ministry of Education Early Years Plan
• Initiating a redesign of the Ministry of Social Services’ Income Assistance programs and services; and
• Expanding housing for “hard to house” individuals to support their integration into the community.

“In addition to these early efforts, we will be focusing on developing an implementation plan that will contain more detail, as well as additional targets, measures, and plans for reporting out,” Harpauer said.

“The Strategy will remain a living document as we work toward our goal of reducing poverty in Saskatchewan.”

You can view the province’s complete poverty reduction strategy on their website.