Members of the SPC identified a need for greater research capacity in the social services sector to identify and develop evidence-based policy recommendations that address the needs of our community. To that end, eleven organizations pooled resources to financially support the work of social policy researchers at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.

The first of two reports, Measuring and Responding to Income Poverty: Concepts and Possibilities, adds clarity to our understanding of the prevalence of poverty in Alberta, the shortcomings of our Income Support system, as well as an interesting proposal to address housing affordability challenges for people accessing social assistance. This brief addresses the key recommendations of the report.

Measuring and Responding to Income Poverty: Response from the Calgary Social Policy Collaborative