About TAPS
Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS) was established in 1989 and is one of the largest anti-poverty organization on Vancouver Island. At TAPS, we believe that the causes of poverty are in the social, economic and political institutions of our society – not the failings of the individual. Through legal advocacy and public education, we have a positive impact on people’s lives in ways that honour and promote human rights, justice, and a healthy, sustainable community.
TAPS is a recognized leader and resource for citizens, community groups, and social agencies attempting to reduce poverty. We serve over 7,000 people each year, and we still cannot meet the needs of everyone who approaches us. TAPS is a non-profit society whose membership is open to individuals or groups concerned with the preservation of civil society, social justice, the eradication of poverty, as well as the continuing moral progress of those ideals.
Values and Orientation
In recognition and acknowledgement of the resilience and authenticity of the communities accessing TAPS, we hope the following serves as both an identifier and ongoing reminder of our obligations to, and place within, the community. We hope the following can be a catalyst for meaningful trust-building, new and strengthened connections, and a deepened understanding of who we are as an organization:
Together Against Poverty Society, as a collective and as an organization, aspires to uphold and imbed these values and orientations in our practice:
To grow and uphold our ability to engage in anti-oppressive and decolonizing work
To hold a dual purpose: to be service-oriented; and social change-focused
To expand our capacity to engage, to organize, to plan and to build with the community
To be clear, transparent, responsive and accountable to our role within the community as an anti-poverty organization
To authentically work to build trust - to listen hard, to learn and unlearn, and actively reflect
To understand that we perpetuate and benefit from colonial systems
To carry with us the knowledge and limitations of our identities and to understand our varying degrees of proximity to the work
To acknowledge we cannot understand the depth and complexities of other’s stories and to always position ourselves as learners
To leverage our knowledge and abilities to challenge inequalities and injustices
To work in solidarity, to be an ally, and to uphold confidentiality and dignity
To lean into and seek critical feedback in order to be accountable and active in mitigating harm
To acknowledge the endurance and resourcefulness of persons with lived experience of homelesness and poverty
To welcome and work to ensure space for diversity of thought, perspectives, positionalities and histories