On April 13, BMC News Editor Paula Kirman spoke at a meeting of the West End Interfaith Coalition on Poverty (Weicop).

Weicop is comprised of representatives from 12 churches of different denominations in the west end seeking to find solutions to issues of poverty and homelessness in the area.

Paula was invited to speak as her work with the paper is familiar to one of the participant churches, Hosanna Lutheran. Issues of the paper are hand-delivered to the church every month by request, as the congregation seeks to learn about inner city issues.

Some of the similarities btween social issues in the Boyle Street and McCauley area, and Stony Plain Road (an area also under revitalization), were discussed.

In particular, Paula spoke of the need to educate and inform people about the inner city, to see the many wonderful events, attractions, and people who live here, as opposed to the way the area is often portrayed, focusing on crime, panhandlers, and negative stereotypes. By encouraging people to visit the area and spend time here, these perceptions and fears can be changed.

Of course, she emphasized the role of the paper and its website as a major way the positive aspects of the community are made known to the area and the city at large.

Paula also talked about her recent work with Action for Healthy Communities as a Community Animator in McCauley, as well as the initiatives of the McCauley Connects Coffeehouse and Church Street Fair that were developed as a result.

Most of all, she discussed the compassion of the people in Boyle Street and McCauley towards poverty and housing issues, and the need for people in the west end to educate themselves about these issues.

As well, Paula encouraged the Weicop members to support organizations dealing with poverty and homelessness head on with their time and resources. She also implored them to go further and investigate the underlying reasons why social problems are becoming more prevalent in their area, as money alone cannot solve the issues.

“Giving money to a problem is a Band-Aid. You’ve got to look at the underlying causes as to why it is happening, and deal with it on that level,” she said. “Band-Aids stop the bleeding, but they don’t heal the wound. Do what you can as an individual, as a church, and as a city to deal with these causes.”