(MENAFN- The Conversation) The theme of the recent United Nations was Dignity for All in Practice.
It raised questions about how we can change our policy practices and outcomes so people living with poverty are treated as experts.
The , the and the Ontario government's refusal to , to name just a few current realities, have resulted in anti-poverty campaigners renewing their pleas for action.
Adequate housing, more meaningful and access to mental health services are among the required.
Inadequate or harmful poverty-related policies were also a theme during the Ontario election campaign in June 2022. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner has used the phrase to point out that public policy can and does trap people in poverty.
A general view of 'A Better Tent City' community in Kitchener, Ont., in October 2021. The community provides small cabins as an alternative to the homeless shelter system in the area. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young The importance of lived expertise
“Unlegislating” poverty demands a new course of action from the government. Addressing systemic factors that cause poverty, and focusing on the expertise of people living with poverty who understand acutely how public policies fail people, are essential.
This call to action is part of an about how public policy can be better developed with lived expertise.
A commitment to prioritizing lived expertise is at the heart of an ongoing research collaboration between the , and the University of Guelph's and .
In this collaboration, lived experts and those working towards poverty elimination are coming together to share and examine stories of poverty. A main outcome of this collaboration is a new four-part podcast series, , that delves into the complex systemic and structural factors that keep people in poverty.
Using data gathered through focus groups with people living with poverty, the podcast series presents four composite stories: fictional narratives based on true accounts.
Each episode pairs a composite story with an interview with a notable guest who contributes additional perspectives and expertise. allows space for experts, scholars and people with lived expertise to co-exist, share knowledge and, hopefully, inform public policy.
Gender and poverty
The podcast series reveals the complex webs that tangle people in poverty and the absence of appropriate policy and service responses. For example, one episode of the podcast, entitled“Old Enough to Hit,” explores how gender can shape people's experiences with poverty:
The episode includes an interview with , director of programs at the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto. She reminds listeners how“women and diverse groups of women especially have experienced social and economic marginalization for years and years … and that's why women are more likely to live in poverty.”
This episode highlights how gender-aware policies — such as those that combat intimate partner violence and facilitate access to day care — are essential for addressing poverty.
Links between racism, unemployment
Another podcast episode, entitled“Paying Customers Only,” highlights the cycle of racism, unemployment, incarceration and mental health challenges. As an example of how racism and unemployment intersect, we heard:
For some racialized people, these negative experiences happen when seeking health services, too.
, assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, is the featured guest in the episode.
He explains:
Khenti says that having“mental health interventions that have been culturally adapted” is an important part of the policy solution.
With the Toronto Police Services' recent report revealing , we hope there's a new sense of urgency in responding to the role of racism in perpetuating poverty.
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Listen up
Of course, activists from diverse communities have been pointing out these issues for decades. Sharing these complex lived experiences in a research-based podcast provides an additional policy advocacy tool without relying on people facing daily discrimination to repeat their stories over and over.
Storied Lives: Shifting Perspectives on Poverty highlights the need for an intersectional response — informed by the expertise of people who live with poverty — to end“legislated poverty.”
A guaranteed liveable income, paid sick days and more accessible child care are just a few bullet points on the long to-do list of much-needed policy changes.
Getting there will require listening to the expertise that comes from lived experience.
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