Low-income families might find precious extra dollars hidden away in unrealized benefits or credits available to them.
The Poverty Reduction Coalition officially launched its online Benefits Navigator in Calgary Friday, helping families identify money available to them through the convenience of any computer.
“We don’t want people traipsing all over town,” said Bruce Edgelow, a member of the coalition’s steering committee, adding some have no idea where to find the information they need.
The navigator asks seven simple questions and links directly to appropriate municipal, provincial, and government websites.
Thursday’s introductory launch event was held at Momentum, a community economic development organization that partners with United Way and assists low-income families or individuals with financial planning or skills upgrading.
Natasja Fischer, a 35-year-old participant in the self-employment program, said she thought it was a great resource.
“I found it to be very easy to navigate (and) very informative,” she said.
Though Fischer said she found useful information there, being single with no children meant she couldn’t take advantage of all the credits available, but added many of the people in the program were single mothers or families that would definitely benefit from the tool.
The navigator is located at www.reducepoverty.ca and is a favourite on every computer at the Calgary Public Library.
