To raise awareness about the need to combat and reduce poverty in the Chattanooga area, Chattanooga Organized for Action, a local community organizing social justice non-profit, is launching a new campaign called Poverty Free Chattanooga.
Following the model of other U.S. cities with successful poverty reduction initiatives, such as Traverse City, Mi., and Savannah, Ga., the purpose of Poverty Free Chattanooga is to make poverty reduction and elimination a key public policy priority in the city of Chattanooga through partnerships with communities, businesses, organizations, social service agencies, and local and state governments, said officials.
One of the components of Poverty Free Chattanooga will be the coordination of a Poverty Reduction Task Force.
The Poverty Reduction Task Force will be a group of individuals representing numerous and diverse communities, non-profits, and public and private sector entities tasked with developing progressive policies and initiatives that local and state governments, non-profits and the private sector can follow to reduce poverty rates within Chattanooga. The Poverty Reduction Task Force will include sub-committees, which will target poverty reduction in the following areas: Education, Health, Food, Housing, Employment, Transportation and Economic Development.
Chattanooga Organized for Action will be reaching out to potential partners and those with a passion for eliminating poverty in the Chattanooga area. Poverty Free Chattanooga will be hosting a Poverty Free Chattanooga Kickoff event on Monday, July 7, from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the Development Resource Center, 1250 Market St., Ste 2000, and organizers invite the public to attend.
Organizers said, "At this kickoff event, you will be presented with our mission and vision, procedures, and partnership/task force recruitment goals. Lunch will be provided. In addition, PFC will be hosting additional planning meetings as well as community awareness and poverty simulations workshops throughout the summer."
For more information about Poverty Free Chattanooga, contact the COA Executive Director Perrin Lance at 653-2393 or perrin.lance@chattaction.org. Also, for more information visit the Poverty Free Chattanooga Facebook page, www.facebook.com/povertyfreechatt.