No easy answers to social planning
Nelson Star
May 12, 2010
Opinion

What are the top social issues that have a negative impact on Nelson?

This was the question asked to a group of community stakeholders at a recent lunch meeting hosted by the Social Planning Action Network (SPAN) in Nelson.

In 2006 when the group formed … the key issues identified were affordable housing, child care, access to health, food security and poverty.

Many of the groups participating in the recent discussion agreed these were still issues.

Around 50 people showed up … and formed groups to try to pin down what they thought were the key issues. Facilitators asked groups to narrow their list to just three issues. It was a difficult task.

Most could agree that affordable housing ranked in the top three, … Taken as single issues, any of these social issues may be reasonably easy to address if we can get funding dollars directed to the right programs. But what became very clear in our discussions was how interrelated all the issues are.