Ed Bentley with Poverty Roundtable HPE speaking at Trenton United Church Wednesday (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Trenton United Church was the latest site for the most recent Poverty Roundtable meeting for Hastings Prince Edward. It took place Wednesday afternoon, gathering dozens of people from numerous social, municipal and religious groups.
Christine Durant is the roundtable spokesperson and says helping to create the national strategy is a key priority. This was the second meeting on the focus for the strategy.
Durant adds that Hastings Prince Edward has higher rates of poverty than the provincial and national average.
A keynote address was also made to discuss the youth centre in Quinte West and the changes and growth it has made in the community. Twenty-two thousand visits have been made to the Quinte West Youth Centre over the last five years.
Food insecurity, home and school issues and a lack of resources were also a main priority at the youth centre. Education, sexual issues, mental health concerns, community support groups, food and shelter problems are also a focus of the shelter.
Working in groups they discussed priorities what should be submitted to help make up the national strategy. It will be submitted to the federal government.
(l-r) Taylor Newell and Connie Nye-Kaley from the Quinte West Youth Centre talk to the HPE Poverty Roundtable (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
