My Home is Making Me (and My Neighbours) Sick

My home is making me (and my

neighbours) sickCHRA Pre-CongressJune 20, 2011

Michael ShapcottDirector, Housing and InnovationThe Wellesley Institute

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Toro

nto

1910


Dr Bruce


Toronto 1911:Founding of

Wellesley Hospital


“Our survey of Toronto housing conditions reveals thousands of families living in houses which are insanitary, verminous, and grossly overcrowded... Bad houses are not only a menace: they are active agents of destruction... they destroy happiness, health and life...”

Dr. H.A. Bruce, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, 1934


Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood


New ‘garden city’ neighbourhood


Bad housing makes you sick!Homelessness:

Increased morbidityIncreased premature morality

Mental health:Alarming rates... especially

Clinical depression and anxietyControl / meaning Collective efficacy

Biological / physical:Chemicals, gases, pollutantsDesign (accidents) / crowdingSocio-economic:

Affordability / energy Transportation / income / jobs

Contextual:Individual / neighbourhood deprivation

networks / friends / crime


Good housing good for health!Personal health:

Improved health outcomesReduced health care needs

Population health:Stronger neighbourhoods

Collective efficacy

Socio-economic:Jobs / income

Economic impact

Fiscal:Reduced health, social services,

policing, justice spending


Bad for people -

bad for economy“We are used to thinking of affordable housing as both a social and a health issue... in study after study, researchers have shown a strong correlation exists between neighbourhoods with poor quality housing and lower health outcomes.”

“However, working to find solutions to problem of affordable housing is also smart economic policy. An inadequate supply of housing can be a major impediment to business investment and growth, and can influence immigrants’ choices of where to locate.”


Homelessness is bad for business and the federal government does not have a national plan to end homelessness in Canada.

A national plan to end homelessness will clearly set goals, objectives, metrics and outcomes and provide the proper mechanisms... Without a clear strategy to direct national efforts to end homelessness, businesses will continue to be negatively impacted by the growing crisis.

September 2010


Canada’s Economic Action Plan: Seventh Report to Canadians, January 2011


‘Wicked’ policy problems cannot be ‘solved’ with a program here or an investment there. They require interventions by multiple actors over the long term.

We can’t just throw up our hands and say it all is too complex. We need policy thinking, strategic

investment, and service interventions that address complex problems...

Comprehensive community initiatives bring together service providers, people with lived experience, community leaders and others to

build broad collaborations to address the roots of local problems in specific communities.”

Bob

Gar

dner

, Wel

lesl

ey In

stitu

te


Wellesley Urban Health Model(as of September, 2010)


Ontario’s 2011 Pre-Budget Consultations:

Finance Minister Duncan:

Don’t ask me to spend money, I don’t have any money now

Don’t tell me that I can save money in the future, because I still don’t

have any money now


Infrastructure Ontario affordable housing loan fund


Since 2001, Homeward Trust has disbursed $115

million to 275 projects, leveraging additional funds

for total value of $233 million


Social impact bonds

Innovative financial instrument to capitalize

in current dollars the future savings of policy

initiatives


Almost everything

connected to everything else

Real world complex, dynamic


Thank you!

www.wellesleyinstitute.com


http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/

http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/

My Home is Making Me (and My Neighbours) Sick

Health & Medicine

Transcript of My Home is Making Me (and My Neighbours) Sick