2023 BCAPI Impact Report

Twenty-five years ago, business leaders in Saint John rallied around addressing an unacceptable fact in our community. The child poverty rate was 33%, significantly higher than the national average.

Saint John’s most vulnerable citizens were (and still are) served by a wide variety of excellent organizations dedicated to alleviating the symptoms of poverty – but these efforts weren’t moving the needle on poverty reduction over time.

The Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative (BCAPI) was formed to dig into why that number was so stubbornly high – and to advocate for, develop, and support targeted solutions to address those reasons and drive the child poverty rate down.