The Living Wage for Families Campaign is running a three-year project to better understand the experiences of those doing low-wage work, with financial support from the Vancouver Foundation.

11.6% of all people who work in Metro Vancouver live in poverty. Almost half of those people are living with children who depend on them. Child poverty and family poverty are connected, and in British Columbia one in five children live in poverty. Some groups of people experience working poverty at a higher rate:

• Indigenous communities
• immigrants and refugees
• people with disabilities
• single mothers
• single senior women
• queer and trans folks, especially youth

This research aims to provide a better understanding to policymakers of possible responses to the issue of working poverty. The project will explore how working poverty impacts the health and well-being of families and communities in Metro Vancouver.  This project will also provide training and support for the working poor to advocate for themselves.

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is an approach to research - a set of principles and practices for designing, conducting, analyzing and acting on research.

The Making Ends Meet PAR is a way of learning and doing work with communities that…

• is community driven and puts the perspective of those experiencing working poverty at the centre of the research.
• seeks understanding about communities and issues identified by participants.
• recognizes participants as “experts” on their experiences.
• Uses findings to take action on issues identified as important to participants.
• allows participants to take action within their communities and beyond their communities.

For more information, please contact our Research Coordinator Leila Trickey.