Community leaders, activists and residents came together last week at the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield for the Taking Action on Poverty Summit.
The event was hosted by Sheffield Health and Wellbeing Board. It intended to build collective action on the recommendations of Greg Fell’s recently published Director of Public Health report, Foundations for a Healthy Future: Ending Poverty Together.
The summit aimed to:
- foster collaboration
- spark new initiatives
- drive forward real change in eradicating poverty
The summit’s theme, ‘Refuse to Accept Things the Way They Are’, encouraged participants to imagine a world without poverty and find ways to make Sheffield a city where every single person has the money they need to live a decent life.
Throughout the day, a series of interactive workshops and powerful presentations, as well as open discussions, provided insight into the lived experiences of poverty.
Attendees also explored ways to:
- tackle stigma
- make systems more human and connected
- build and maintain momentum for taking action together
Key Highlights from the Event
There a few highlights from the event.
Panel discussion
Members of the Sheffield Poverty Truth Commission shared their lived experiences and explored what a poverty-free Sheffield might feel like
Workshops
There were workshops on:
- tackling stigma
- making systems more human
- building and maintaining momentum
Attendees worked together to explore the complex issues involved in addressing and eradicating poverty, developing actions to take forward collectively.
Reflecting on the success of the event:
“The Summit last week showed the strength and determination within our communities to take meaningful action and to do everything we can do collectively to challenge poverty. Poverty is not inevitable and the Council and organisations in the city are committed to working together to support, listen, act, and drive forward change for the people of Sheffield.
“The fact that we held the Poverty Summit here in Sheffield and the actions that came from it, shows that we are refusing to accept things the way they are. Everyone can play a part in making the right change happen.
“We know there will be people in Sheffield and nationally who may be struggling or concerned about how the proposed changes to welfare benefits may affect them. We will continue to do what we can as a Council to support the most vulnerable in our city.”Councillor Angela Argenzio, Chair of the Adult Health and Social Care Committee
The event concluded with a speech by Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council, who set out details of the Council’s actions to tackle poverty in Sheffield.
“We are working hard to remove the barriers of poverty, ill health and discrimination that hold people back. This is why we are taking action to provide new social and affordable housing, invest in youth services, improve public transport by bringing our buses back under public control and helping people with support to get into work, among many other things.”
“The Government has provided councils like Sheffield with additional funding which is a significant and welcome step in the right direction. We will continue to support our communities, deliver essential services to our residents and work together with our partners to tackle poverty.”
Councillor Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council
As attendees departed, the displays remained in place for reflection, ensuring that momentum continues beyond the day’s discussions. The call to action is clear: Sheffield will not accept things as they are – it's time to act.