Ending Poverty

What We Believe

The United Church believes that as we lead lives of compassion and justice, “the poor must have priority… over the wants of the rich.” (“The Church and the Economic Crisis,” 1984). Read more at Working to Eradicate Poverty.

The United Church has outreach and community ministries and collaborates with a number of Canadian and global ecumenical, interfaith, and civil society partners working on poverty issues.

What You Can Do

• Watch this Online Conversation on Housing & Homelessness in Canada (recorded webinar from February 12, 2020, embedded above)
• Read about how United Church community ministries continue to serve forgotten and vulnerable people during COVID-19
• Learn more about Bridges Out of Poverty, a highly successful community program that puts the under-resourced people it seeks to assist in “the driver’s seat” (recorded webinar from February 19, 2020)
• Browse Stories of Our Faith and find out how United Church ministries and partners are working to address poverty in their own contexts.
• Find a Community & Social Justice Ministry
• Participate in the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17
  • Plan a worship service
  • Host or participate in a Chew On This event
• View the Poverty in Canada webinar series: 1) Four Stories, 2) Focus on Charity and Justice
• Join the Dignity for All campaign to create a poverty-free Canada
• Connect with:
  • Bread Not Stones (under Downloads, below): practical tools to equip you in working toward eradicating child poverty; used by this United Church Women’s national project
  • United Action for Justice E-newsletter and Facebook Page
• Read The United Church of Canada’s Response to the Federal Government’s 2017 Poverty Reduction Consultation (see downloads below)

The Work of Our Partners

• The Canadian Council of Churches’ statement “On Promoting Climate Justice and Ending Poverty in Canada"
• Citizens for Public Justice
• Canada Without Poverty
• ACT Alliance
• ASTHA Sansthan