Many of Winnipeg’s most challenging social issues are rooted in poverty. To help address this challenge, in 2007 United Way of Winnipeg brought together a group of community leaders from across the city to form the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council (WPRC).

The WPRC was established based on the understanding that no single group or organization can successfully address poverty on its own. For this reason, the WPRC has engaged senior leaders from all sectors in a comprehensive, sustained effort. Membership of the WPRC comes from business, education, non-profit, labour, and all three levels of government.

Early in its existence, the WPRC created an aspiration statement that clearly defines its objective – A City Where Everyone Belongs. It also determined that tackling issues related to the stigmatization of people living in poverty is as important as tackling the causes of poverty itself. The primary objective is to improve the quality of life for all people living in poverty.

The WPRC has established a strong foundation by developing governing documents, learning about poverty in Winnipeg, finding out how other communities are addressing poverty, engaging with community stakeholders, listening to poverty experts from various perspectives, reviewing current research, and working on a Framework for Action to guide the WPRC’s work. The WPRC has come to appreciate the creative initiatives and progress already achieved through existing collaborations in our community to address the issue of poverty. The Council looks forward to actively joining in these efforts and working with others, doing our part to ensure that Winnipeg becomes even more of A City Where Everyone Belongs.