Reports

For the third year in a row Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum CIPF took the initiative to mark Challenge Poverty Week in a significant way across Cornwall.

CIPF is especially grateful to the many organisations and community groups that supported the week and raised awareness of the tremendous amount of need that sadly still exists across the County as well as showcasing the huge amount of support that is offered by so many to those who have been and remain impacted by the cost of living crisis that has hit so many. Yet again CPW had two main focuses.

Firstly, forty community groups showed their commitment to Challenging Poverty by taking a photo of their workers and volunteers with a CPW 2023 Banner. Do look at this report for the selection of images that celebrate the groups Challenging Poverty in 2023 from Breakfasts for the Homeless to Citizens Advice teams and many other groups in between.

CIPF working with End Hunger Cornwall promoted Challenge Poverty Week 2022 in Cornwall.

Challenge Poverty Week 2022 has enabled us to highlight our issues on the national stage. It has provided a platform for people
in power and decision makers to talk with people living the reality of modern day poverty. Our opening conference ’Voices
within Poverty’ led to Challenge Poverty Week, which all fed into our nationally significant conference ‘You still can’t eat the view’.

This report is a fantastic document which, although it outlines our many problems, also does what Cornwall does best in
offering a great snapshot of our community; a realisation of all of the amazing people doing great things every day to help and,
most importantly, some challenges and solution based ideas from which to continue this debate in a pragmatic, positive and
persistent way.

CIPF working with End Hunger Cornwall promoted Challenge Poverty Week 2021 in Cornwall.

We asked projects working to address poverty to invite local leaders to come and visit their community group to highlight the excellent work they do and also to give insights into the reasons why so many within our communities are in poverty.

By taking part in Challenge Poverty Week, many organisations
at the front line of Cornwall’s amazing poverty provision
charities have taken the chance to engage with a new
audience, be that Councillors, Church Leaders or MP’s. This
awareness is vital is opening dialogue because we need to be
working with these people to solve the problem of poverty.
We are not their opposition, but we are able to suggest
positive alternatives and be heard.

Thanks to all those projects who took part and for the leaders who took time to visit and comment on the work that is taking place.

‘Citizens Panels’, ‘Citizens Assemblies’, and ‘Citizen Juries’ are forms of ‘mini-publics’, in which a small, diverse sample of a target population – be it a town, a city or a country – convene to discuss an issue of common concern.

The Penzance Citizens Panel on Housing and Homelessness was convened by Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum (CIPF). The panel met for five evening sessions over six weeks, and listened to 9 presentations by expert witnesses. The question they addressed was as follows:

“High housing costs, low paid insecure work, eviction and homelessness are all issues that blight local communities in Cornwall, including Penzance. How can we as a community come together to address these issues?”

At the end of it they have come up with a report setting out 21 recommendations. You can download the report at the link on the right.

‘You Can’t Eat the View’ was a nationally significant conference hosted in October 2019 as a collaboration between the Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum and End Hunger Cornwall.

The event brought together a wide range of participants from local community groups and agencies.

The aim of the conference was to discuss and formulate a conference paper to be presented locally and nationally as a base model for other organisations across the county, including local and national government.

The day consisted of keynote speakers, workshops, and plenty of discussion time amongst delegates.

Reflections on the conference have been gathered together into this report, including a number of suggestions for action which were discussed and presented on the day.

Discussions in this report will attempt to highlight issues within the county with a direct reference to ‘poverty’, it’s implications and to consider how we can best work together to help alleviate poverty, in Cornwall.’

The report considers the impacts of Universal Credit upon those on benefits.

Organisations and other guests in attendance included:

• Cornwall County Council
• Cornwall Housing
• Cornwall NHS Foundation Trust
• Cornwall Residential Landlords Association (CRLA)
• Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum (CIPF)
• Homeless Link
• St Petroc’s Society