As much as this city is on the rise, there are still plenty of issues that must be faced, poverty being the biggest. The question is, how do we tackle the problem? How do we ensure that every child has the opportunity to eat healthy food, live under a solid roof, and dress warmly for the winter? Just stop to think about a parent who has three jobs, yet can’t obtain a mortgage due to illegal redlining practices. Without being given the opportunity to own a house or a car, there’s little way to build credit, or build financial equity.
The workshop is designed for local scholars, social service agencies, advocates, government leaders and staff, among others, and it is free and open to the public.
The 2017 Buffalo Poverty Workshop aims to address many of these issues. The workshop is comprised of scholars and activists who make it their business to advocate for issues ranging from policing reform to working with the banking institutions. If you are interested in learning more and advocating for “ongoing research, promising strategies, and opportunities for collaboration”, then you should consider attending the workshop.
Now in its eighth year, the Workshop has grown to attract over 150 attendees.
This gathering is not all about talk, it’s about action. There are ways to get started putting poverty in check. But without the help of valuable members of the community, it’s going to take a lot longer to affect change.
The presentations are:
- Victimization among Special Populations. Amy Hequembourg, Senior Research Scientist, UB Research Institute on Addictions
- Getting Banks to Fight Poverty. Thomas Keily, Consumer Data and Research Coordinator, WNY Law Center
- Policing Reform in the City of Buffalo. Sam Magavern, Executive Director, Partnership for the Public Good
- Buffalo at the Crossroads: Where Climate Change Intersects with Poverty and Race. John Washington, Co-Director of Organizing, PUSH Buffalo
The Workshop takes place Friday, April 7, from 9:00am – 12:30pm (registration & coffee from 8:30am), at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Advance registration is available on the website of the Homeless Alliance of WNY, wnyhomeless.org. This session is presented by the Homeless Alliance of WNY and the Partnership for the Public Good and co-sponsored by the Burchfield Penney Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State.
Image: rghitulescu