What Does Poverty Look Like In The Comox Valley?

The Comox Valley Community Health Network and Comox Valley Regional District have launched an informational display to help community members contemplate the realities of poverty in the Comox Valley.

The new display, called Data Walk, is thanks to an initiative by Thriving Together, Comox Valley’s Poverty Reduction Table.

It’s an interactive walk, with data specific to the Comox Valley displayed on posters that share information on access to affordable childcare, risk of being unhoused, living wage, food insecurity and more.

Each poster has options for ways that participants can share their reactions and thoughts about the data.

The aim is to inform, create conversation and encourage community members to explore ways of reducing and eliminating poverty in the region.

From August through October, the Comox Valley Poverty Data Walk will be available for community members to experience in-person at various indoor and outdoor locations, including select municipal parks and trails and community events such as the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market, the Black Creek Fall Fair, as well as locations around Denman and Hornby Islands.

The first outdoor locations for the Data Walk will be at the Civic Park in Comox (August 2-8), the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market (August 2), and the Idiens Trail (August 3-8) in Courtenay.

Viewers are encouraged to bring a phone to scan the QR code on the posters and share reactions and thoughts about the data.

Thriving Together, Comox Valley’s Poverty Reduction Table, is a community-based collective impact group made up of community members and representatives from local organizations, businesses and government, all with a shared vision of Comox Valley as a healthy, thriving, resilient community where the root causes of poverty are eliminated.

To take the virtual walk or for more information, visit Engage Comox Valley.