Understanding the Impacts of and Finding Community Solutions to Poverty in Lethbridge, Alberta
Vibrant Lethbridge
Community and Social Development, City of Lethbridge
October 2013
In 2013, Vibrant Lethbridge sought out a focus group to find community solutions to poverty in Lethbridge. The group consisted of primarily those considered to be especially vulnerable to falling into, and remaining, in poverty. The participants described their shared experiences of living in poverty and offered their insights on what is needed to solve the problem in our community.
Throughout the study, Vibrant Lethbridge shares many feelings and frustrations of the participants:
“If you’re a single mom and you don’t have an education you’re working for minimum wage how do you even live on that? You can’t.” - Focus Group Participant
It also offers statistics particular to Lethbridge:
- 20% of those in poverty in Lethbridge are children under the age of 15
- 40% are single parent families
- 42% are Aboriginal people
Vibrant Lethbridge also heard positive feelings about Lethbridge's social service providers:
“I remember going to the food bank and I just cried the first time I went there. I cried and cried. And the lady that was behind the desk, she came around and she said, don’t you ever cry when you come here. This is for you; don’t feel bad about taking – and that really meant a lot to me. And I still go the food bank once in a while. And I think that if it wasn’t for the food bank, I don’t know, some of these people would be starving to death.” - Focus Group Participant
To read the complete report, download the attached pdf file below.
Visit Vibrant Lethbridge online to learn more.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 VibrantLethbridge-WaterfallBookletPV-Feb28.pdf | 2.79 MB |