ABSTRACT

This chapter explores a case study involving a community campus partnership that moved the needle on a complex policy issue, poverty reduction. This research project was part of a federally funded endeavor that explored the benefits to the community of engagement with a university. A living wage campaign was launched in a mid-size Canadian city resulting in 30 businesses officially signing on as living wage employers. Collective Impact, a framework for community and systems change, was an important instrument for achieving this change. The case study identified elements of CI that greatly facilitated this policy change.