We believe in and we apply the systemic

We believe in and we apply the systemic approach By The Charity Federation Maritime Project Committee 1

The Charity Federation Maritime Project: Sisters of St Martha Antigonish (1900) A cooperative project among leaders of the four congregations of the Maritime Provinces of Canada introduced in 2008 2

Origin of the Charity Federation Maritime Project It was conceived in Kentucky during the Charity Federation gathering of June 2007 3

Location of Charity Federation Maritime Project Headquarters New Brunswick Nova Scotia 4

Definition of collaboration by congregational leadership "To come together to share our charism, gifts and resources for others, especially the most vulnerable of society" 5

Mandate and desired outcomes Advocacy for women and children, focussing on housing, social assistance and the working poor Involvement of sisters and associates, whenever possible, keeping them informed of activities and actions taken 6

Mandate coordinated by a four-member committee Franklyn Auréa Helen Danahy, SC, Halifax Roma De Robertis, SCIC, Saint John Franklyn Ferguson, CSM, Antigonish Auréa Cormier, n. d. s. c. , Moncton Helen Roma 7

Two examples of systemic change oriented projects undertaken by the Maritime Project 1. Fighting homelessness and lack of housing through public mobilization 2. Influencing Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategies 8

1. Advocacy for housing Canada has no national housing strategy to ensure secure, adequate, accessible housing for all Canadians Many poor households can only afford to rent trailers Some social assistance recipients pay over 60% of their monthly cheque to rent a small room 9

a) Sisters of Charity of Halifax and their Associates met with Megan Leslie, Member of Parliament, regarding Bill C 304 (Affordable housing) and sent petitions to support passing this bill Megan Leslie, MP for Halifax North (NDP) Sisters of Charity and Associates meeting with Megan Leslie 10

b) Sisters of Charity and their Associates participated in the "Out of the Cold Shelter" activities in Halifax, N. S. - This is a grassroots community project for the hard-to-house people - It provided winter shelter and food for 64 different people during 460 stays over a two-month period - Half of those accommodated were youth 11

c) The Sisters of Charity of Halifax supported the "Tent City Project" Why a Tent City? Because: We all have the right to quality, affordable housing that is safe and accessible Housing should be based on need rather than profit Governments at all level have an obligation to facilitate the provi-sion of affordable housing for all We believe in the power of people to organize for housing 12

d) The four congregations wrote to their Members of Parliament requesting increased funding for housing Text drafted by Roma De Robertis, responsible for communications 13

e) Roma met with a Saint John housing official from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. ; - She discussed housing issues with the director of Saint John Non-Profit Housing Inc. - She consulted with representative of "Housing Alternatives", Saint John - She attended a developers meeting on mixed income housing in Saint John 14

Our systemic approach regarding the housing issue We focused on assisting the needy to change the overall structures within which they live and helped them develop mobilization strategies by which they can emerge from poverty. 15

2. Advocacy related to Poverty Reduction Strategies Sisters of Saint Martha and Sisters of Charity of Halifax monitored the progress and activities of the Community Coalition to End Poverty in Nova Scotia They worked on several fronts for systemic change and a life of dignity for the poor 16

a) In New Brunswick (NB), Notre-Dame -du-Sacré-Coeur Sisters and Sisters of Charity if the Immaculate Conception collaborated with the Common Front for Social Justice (CFSJ), the Saint John Vibrant Community group, the Council of Canadians and other lobby groups to press the N. B. government to develop a Poverty Reduction Plan and they were successful b) Many Sisters participated in the Dialogue sessions organized in 12 areas 17

c) Auréa Cormier prepared a critical analysis of the N. B. Poverty Reduction Plan for the Common Front for Social Justice to see which recommen-dations brought about more justice to the poor and which ones did not bring them any relief 18

d) We presented a critical analysis of the Poverty Reduction Plan in 20 cities and towns and reached + 450 people - Some negative impacts which the Poverty Reduction Plan could or would have: • Improvement of the lives of only 3% of the province's social assistance recipients, leaving 97% of them with no financial improvements • Not giving enough voice to those living in poverty • Downloading government services on community groups and asking for volunteers to do the work • Creation of more disparity between rural and 19

e) We framed the necessity to reduce poverty in the context of the Declaration of Human Rights and the speakers invited the 150 participants to present the issue of poverty as a violation of human rights 20

f)We researched food price increases in 12 NB grocery stores and found a 20. 8% increase in food price between 2006 and 2010, compared to a 6. 6% rise in the Consumer Price Index; we will use this factbased information to lobby for increases in social assistance rates and minimum wage 21

The gains obtained will benefit the entire province of NB The Poverty Reduction Plan aims at reducing the overall NB poverty rate by 25% by 2014 Approximately 1, 200 social assistance recipients now receive $537 per month instead of $294 Some of our interventions with 22

CONCLUSION The Charity Federation – Maritime Project committee members are living the charity charism and spirituality of Saints Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac and Elizabeth Ann Seton Our actions focus mainly on bringing about systemic change We are thankful to our leadership team for their support 23