Supporting rural low-income families: a municipal recreation department's response to community crisis

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recreation is an important resource that can support residents’ capacity to cope with stress and deal with community crisis, such as a pandemic. However, rural low-income families often experience inequitable access to recreation provisions. COVID-19 pandemic forced municipal recreation departments across Canada to re-evaluate and adapt their provisions, of particular importance for rural low-income families. Through the lens of social liberalism, this study examined the role of a municipal recreation department's response to community crisis and the implications of its provisions on rural low-income mothers and their families’ capacity to facilitate leisure during the pandemic. Through 29 interviews with low-income mothers and a focus group with the recreation department, we illuminate how provisions were designed and delivered to address income inequality, geographic isolation, social exclusion and childcare. Considering these findings, we discuss the department's approach to redesigning and delivering provisions and the implications to supporting low-income families’ access to recreation.