Nashville's Poverty Initiative Calls for Community-Wide Collaboration to Help Poor
Mayor Dean Names Metro Social Services as Coordinating Agency for Plan’s Implementation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 22, 2010) -Mayor Karl Dean today released a plan intended to reduce the number of people living in poverty in Nashville, which currently stands at 16 percent of the city’s total population.
The plan was developed by a broad base of community members first convened in September 2008 for the Nashville Poverty Symposium. Nearly 500 city leaders, advocates, organizations and residents attended the Symposium to hear about existing efforts to reduce poverty, as well as the service gaps that prevent families from being able to sustain themselves.
Over 65 percent of the Symposium attendees committed to participating in the Nashville Poverty Initiative, which worked over several months to develop the recommendations in the plan.
Howard Gentry, president of the Nashville Chamber Public Benefit Board, and Cynthia Croom, executive director of the Metropolitan Action Commission, who served as the chairs of the initiative, presented the recommendations in seven focus areas: child care, economic opportunity, food, health care, housing, neighborhood development and workforce development.
Following the report presentation, Dean announced that he has asked Metro Social Services to monitor and coordinate the initiative’s implementation as well as look at any initiatives that may overlap or be better supported by involving additional resources from existing agencies.
“The government can’t end poverty on its own,” Dean said. “The solutions laid out in this plan take the entire community – both the public and private sector. I am tasking Metro Social Services with conducting annual community needs assessments and organizing community-wide, public-private partnerships consisting of professional social workers, business leaders, nonprofit and community organizations, philanthropists, academics, and policymakers.”
Implementation of several of the recommendations is already underway. Dean called on businesses, residents, government agencies and community groups to continue to stay involved the implementation going forward.
Nashville's Poverty Reduction Initiative Plan
For media inquiries contact:
Bonna Johnson
615-862-6461
bonna.johnson@nashville.gov