Richmond school trustee Rod Belleza wants to know how the district can better help students impacted by poverty.
The board of education Monday was to discuss a motion by Belleza asking staff to investigate the perceived impact of child poverty in the district, measures that have already been taken as well as recommendations for actions by the district that could help improve student success for those impacted.
"I would like to explore this problem and, to me, we can only help by identifying those who are impacted by child poverty. Then the next question is what kind of recommendations will come from staff to help these children, to make sure we will improve student successes," he told the Richmond News prior to Monday's board meeting.
Noting student success is one of the district's development objections that may be impacted by child poverty, Belleza said, "The underlying goals of the district is literacy and social responsibility, that is where I'm coming from. We have a social responsibility and our focus is on the learners."
Belleza said the city and school district are fortunate to have some partner groups like the food bank.
Poverty issues in Richmond have been much talked about in recent years.
The City of Richmond's website states that the last Census data from 2006 reveals that average household income in the city rose to $67,440.
However, in 2006, the proportions of households and families with incomes below Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut-offs (LICOs) were 20.9 per cent and 18.9 per cent respectively.
The website explains Statistics Canada stresses that LICO is not a measure of poverty per se. The LICO data do, however, provide a useful indicator of individuals and families in the community who spend a disproportionate share of their income on food, clothing, and shelter.
"The presence of individuals and families with low incomes amongst the population raises concerns for Richmond's overall community wellbeing. Research has revealed the link between low incomes and reduced health status, higher justice system costs, increased demands for community services, heightened stress on families, and reduced success in school," the Richmond website states.
The Richmond Poverty Response Committee has been one of the main groups at the forefront raising awareness about the plight of the city's poor.
The committee was formed in 2001 after the Richmond Community Services Advisory Council released a report a year earlier titled Poverty in Richmond: A Sense of Belonging. That report found that onefifth of all Richmond families and one-third of all children lived in poverty.
Richmond also had one of the highest poverty gaps in the country. The report noted two themes emerged in interviews and focus groups held with people living in poverty. First, respondents overwhelmingly feel excluded from life in the community.
Second, respondents have few choices in the decisions they make.
The report from a decade ago also concluded that a wide range of community partners needs to be involved to successfully develop and commit to community initiatives.
Belleza noted Richmond is still perceived as an affluent community with an affluent immigrant population. Stories of houses being sold at million dollar prices to buyers from China only add to that perception.
"Sometimes I can hardly believe it. It's mind boggling to know that a quarter of our families are at the poverty line or below the poverty line. So, I'd like to know the facts," he said.
According to the last Census, the largest single ethnic category in Richmond was Chinese, with roughly 45 per cent of the population claiming a Chinese background.
Meanwhile, 57.4 per cent of the population were immigrants in 2006, the highest proportion of any municipality in Canada.
Also in 2006, 65 per cent of local residents were visible minorities, the largest share of any municipality in B.C. and the second highest in Canada.
That all could mean difficulty for school district staff finding out how many of its students are living in poverty and their families admitting they're struggling, said Belleza.
"It's very confidential and private kind of concerns. Maybe a few will acknowledge they are impacted by this kind of poverty, so we'll need some creativity to determine the facts," he said.
"We'll start with those we know and, if we can, ask for help from our partners, government agencies, and, of course, people who would like to ask help ," Belleza added.
