The city will target West Centretown, especially Rochester Heights and LeBreton housing projects, in a community development plan aimed at reducing poverty in four areas of the city that was unanimously approved at Wednesday's city council meeting.
Children living in city-run housing in West Centretown are the focus of the strategy, which seeks to improve their quality of life, Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes said in an interview.
“They can’t afford to go to our own recreation facilities,” she said, citing the pay-per-use facilities at the Plant Recreation Centre as an example.
“We have to get the children using the pools and the soccer fields.”
The plan also aims for academic success. “How can we get these children more ready for school asked Holmes.
The strategy is still in its planning stages and Holmes says the city is months away from implementing any actual programs. Over the summer, a committee will meet to determine exactly what form the programs should take and how the promised funding should be allocated. All options are available, said Holmes. But the guiding question will be: “How can we help the children?”
The Community and Protective Services Committee presented the plan as part of report to city council on Wednesday.
The other three targeted areas are Bayshore, Carlington and Vanier. The city selected the four spots based on University of Ottawa research which measured a variety of criteria to establish the places best-suited to such a program.