The social economy and community action contribute to modifying the factors provoking poverty and exclusion, but on their own they are not sufficient to counter them. The fight against poverty and social exclusion based on an integrated regional approach constitutes an important pillar of the public agenda in Quebec. Working within this context, our research attempts to identify the factors and conditions that help or hinder the transition out of poverty within the framework of a regional dynamic. We carried out an analysis of three regions: metropolitan (Rosemont), semi-urban (Lanaudière) and outlying regions (Côte-Nord). Our research team examined the views, actions and performance of institutional, community and public stakeholders, as well as those of the citizens themselves.
Certain categories of the population face a higher risk of poverty than others.
Our analysis confirms once again that certain categories of the population face a higher risk of poverty than others: young people with difficulties in achieving social insertion, single mothers, elderly women working in the retail sector, recent immigrants and isolated seniors. Nevertheless, problems such as food insecurity, dropping out of school and housing conditions assume increasing importance. It is not the increase in the poverty rate that is problematic, but rather the accumulation of difficulties and the chronicity of poverty.
Since forms of poverty vary according to regional characteristics such as demographics, level of accessibility of public services and availability of alternative resources, the first avenue of solution we propose is to consider public policies integrating both universal and particular aspects that are easily adaptable to regional realities. It is important to structure the financing on a per program basis, with dedicated funds that would provide local institutions and regional players with more room to manoeuvre.
Main researcher: Pierre-Joseph Ulysse, Université de Montréal
Original title: Lutter contre la pauvreté et l'exclusion par une approche territoriale intégrée : identification des facteurs et conditions favorisant la sortie de la pauvreté. Une étude comparative de trois communautés territoriales
