Since 2002, community leaders across Canada have been building momentum to bring together those who are committed to innovative local action on poverty issues. In Surrey, this led us to become a member of Vibrant Communities, a national initiative to learn more about how to reduce poverty in our own communities. Vibrant Surrey now has members from every sector of the community including business, city, provincial and federal governments, social service sector, academia, and private citizens.

Vibrant Surrey is made up of leaders from every sector of the community who are committed to improving the economic situation for those living in poverty. Working collaboratively and using practical applications learned from national partners, Vibrant Surrey supports local poverty reduction efforts and complements those with economic development projects that make a real difference in people's lives.

Learning nationally and acting locally, Vibrant Surrey unites leaders from every sector of the community committed to improving the economic situation for those living in poverty.

We help grow local poverty reduction efforts by building networks and increasing opportunities for collaboration. We also provide access to learning and capacity building conferences and workshops.

Through collaborations with our members we help create and fund community economic development projects that make a real difference in people’s lives. 

And through participatory, community-based research, we try to understand the perspectives and reality of those who are affected by poverty in our community.

Poverty Dialogue, Friday March 30, 2012: Over 100 people gathered together at the Bollywood Banquet Hall on March 30th to learn about the findings of the Collaborative Research on Poverty in Surrey. Vibrant Surrey partnered with Surrey Homelessness and Housing Task Force and Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society to undertake a comprehensive resarch project looking at poverty in Surrey. We worked closely with Surrey City staff, representatives of Fraser Health and with SPARC BC to compile existing data from a wide variety of statistics.Poverty Dialogue participants received the first copies of the Fact Sheets on Poverty in Surrey, and all were impressed with the array of data that the 13 sheets contained. The best part of the day was working in discussion groups to create an Action Plan to address the issue of poverty as it affects different population groups and along four key policy areas: Transportation, Housing, Income and Supports. Click here for an overview of the Fact Sheets as they are produced. Click on the following links for the specific fact sheets: Transportation, Housing, Income and Supports. The PEOPLE fact sheets are: Families, Seniors, People with Disabilities, Women, Men, Aboriginal and Immigrants.  Watch for updates as the Action Plan is developed.

Voices of Experience now available for viewing on YouTube. Voices of Experience is a project that hosted a series of dialogue sessions with people living in poverty - specifically women, immigants and youth. The product of the project is a DVD containing 14 stories that convey the real experience of living in poverty. Eight of the stories are now posted on YouTube. You can view them by clicking on Vibrant Videos link on this page. The stories provide powerful messages for the broader community and for policy makers. To receive a complimentary copy of the Voices of Experience DVD, email us at info@vibrantsurrey.ca.

Vibrant Surrey Food Security Initiative. The Vibrant Surrey Board is pleased to announce grants to DiverseCity Community Resource Society and Surrey Urban Mission Society towards their food security projects. A grant of $8,000 was awarded to DCRS toward the Community Kitchen component of their Food Security Hubs program. SUMS received up to $12,000 to produce a business plan for a food co-op serving low income households in Surrey, Congratulations to both groups, and thank you for the work you do to improve access to nutritious and affordable food for low income individuals and families in Surrey.

Living Wage for Families Coalition. Vibrant Surrey is proud to support this initiative by signing on to the Open Letter to Municipal Candidates in October 2011. Click here to learn more about Living Wage employers.

In March of 2010 Vibrant Surrey adopted a renewed Framework for Change.