Discover All We’re Doing to End Poverty in Our Community

End Poverty in Our Community

At Philantech3, we’re committed not only to providing top-notch IT services to small businesses, but we’re also dedicated to alleviating the systemic poverty that is so deeply entrenched in parts of our city. We believe that the issues surrounding poverty, complex as they are, cannot be solved by the government, but by individuals and groups committed to addressing the underlying causes. Toward that end, we’ve adopted both proactive and reactive strategies to help local residents overcome homelessness, addiction, and other adverse circumstances and work toward a better life. We are also passionate about encouraging Spokane residents to support local businesses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many establishments are struggling to stay financially afloat.Proactive Steps to End Poverty in Spokane

We know that communities are more stable when residents have access to gainful employment. Too often, a lack of jobs breeds other social ills that weaken already vulnerable neighborhoods. Our proactive strategy to combatting poverty involves bringing living-wage jobs to our city — and keeping them there. We provide pro-bono consulting to small enterprises in the area that are struggling. The goal is to help them stay in business so they can continue to provide employment opportunities — as well as valuable goods and services — to our community.

Reactive Strategies to Supporting the Spokane Community

At Philantech3, we believe that part of our mission to care for the welfare of others also involves providing resources and services directly to people who are currently in poverty and want to make the changes needed to improve their situation. Each quarter, we donate a portion of our profits to two local non-profits — the Vanessa Behan Nursery and Union Gospel Mission.— that are on the front lines of addressing the underlying causes of poverty and helping those most at risk. The nursery provides parent education and crisis counseling, 24-hour childcare, and referrals to other community services. The mission consists of outreach workers who are on the streets daily, assisting homeless people who are ready to take steps toward building a brighter future for themselves.

We also believe, however, that fighting poverty takes more than merely providing monetary resources. Every year, our employees receive paid time off (separate from standard PTO) to volunteer with these organizations. We also sometimes partner with other companies in our area to contribute to these non-profits so we can have a greater impact and increase awareness of the needs here in Spokane.

Helping Local Business Weather the Coronavirus Pandemic

With all but the most essential workers ordered to stay home and thousands out of work, small businesses have been hit especially hard as the COVID-19 pandemic marches through our city. To encourage people to support local establishments, we’ve been shedding light on small enterprises, such as restaurants. Even though diners can’t eat inside, they can still enjoy to-go orders. Highlighting the contributions small businesses make to our area — by creating jobs and providing services — is part of our effort to help these companies remain fixtures in the community. Check us out on YouTube to learn more about our weekly Business Spotlight.

At Philantech3, we provide a full selection of managed IT services to small businesses. Meeting the technology needs of our clients and doing philanthropic work in the community allows us to support our neighbors in as many ways as possible. Small businesses and non-profit organizations are the backbone of our community. Now more than ever, we want to do all we can to support each other so we can continue to make a difference, strengthening our city in the months and years to come.

Wil Buchanan