Poverty Research Centre set to open in London

CTV London: Opening up talk about poverty The London Food Bank and Sisters of St. Joseph have teamed up to open the Poverty Research Centre. Bryan Bicknell explains.

A new collaborative venture guided by volunteers is hoping to change the conversation about poverty in the City of London.

The London Poverty Research Centre is a joint effort by the Sisters of St. Joseph and the London Food Bank  and will be headed by a volunteer task force.

The organization's aim is to end poverty in the city by identifying the causes and coming up with solutions.

In a statement, Sister Sue Wilson of the Sisters of St. Joseph said the centre cannot achieve the goal alone, "However, we believe the centre can play a key role by providing all Londoners with an accessible pool of relevant research, analysis and promising practices that can create real change in our city."

The details of the new centre were unveiled at a press conference on Tuesday morning at King's University College, which along with the London Community Foundation, is partnering with the new group.

The London Community Foundation announced over $250,000 in funding for the project in December 2013.

Jane Roy, co-executive director of the London Food Bank, added "It will take all of us to make a collective impact on the issues associated with poverty in London."

The centre will focus on three areas, precarious work, food insecurity and how mental health is related to homelessness.