BELFAST, Maine — The annual Greater Waldo Community Network Forum being held here Thursday will for the first time be focused specifically on poverty, according to one of the organizers.
“We’ve obviously had a long-time interest in poverty in Waldo County. It’s a big issue,” said Patrick Walsh of Broadreach Family & Community Services. “Many of the services in our network are trying to support individuals and families facing poverty issues like food, housing, work and transportation.”
According to a recent community assessment by Waldo Community Action Partners, about 13 percent of Mainers live below the poverty line. In Waldo County, that number is higher — about 15.5 percent, making it the seventh most impoverished county in the state. In individual communities, the numbers of people living below the poverty line can jump to greater heights, such as 23 percent in Belfast, or even 24.4 percent in both Montville and Unity.
Through the forum, Walsh said that he and others are looking for ideas on how to respond to poverty in a better, more comprehensive way.
“We’re trying to achieve a better understanding of how it happens. How it affects people. How it affects decision-making,” he said.
Toward that end, the forum will include panelists from initiatives in other places, including Healthy Peninsula in Blue Hill, Many Flags in Knox County, and the Community Caring Collaborative of Washington County.
The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Belfast Boathouse, with an update of the recently completed community assessment of the county.
“We’d like to be able to inspire some sort of coordinated action in Waldo County,” Walsh said.
For information, call Patrick Walsh at 338-2200, ext. 109.