People’s School on DEID and Affordable Housing

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THEMATIC BRIEF October 2022

People’s School on Health Outcomes and Affordable Housing October 14, 2022

The third online People’s School on Affordable Housing and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals focused on health. Participants in this People’s School spoke from their perspectives in public health promotion, seniors’ housing provision, support for women escaping domestic violence, co-ops, and community advocacy. Connie Clement was the resource person. Connie brought her experience with the National Collaborating Centre on the Determinants of Health, and her volunteer work with the Antigonish Affordable Housing Society.

Analysis: Understanding the Connections Instability: Participants noted the complexity of the strands connecting mental health, earning an income, and finding a home. Access to housing is tied to access to transportation and a living wage. People in poverty do not have options of moving making them more vulnerable to climate impacts such as flooding as we have seen in Antigonish and Wolfville. Hospital emergency departments cannot provide the mental health support where people in crisis once went for assistance. During the Covid pandemic precarious housing options became untenable, resulting in more people living on the streets. Stability is a term that is often not highlighted in these discussions, but the significance for a person knowing they have a stable home opens opportunities such as joining community groups, going back to school, gardening—activities unthinkable when someone is in a precarious housing situation.

Advocacy: The health promoters in attendance discussed advocacy—the need to raise awareness of the reality on the ground that they see. They see the health impacts upon those who do not have adequate housing, and the great efforts that community organizations are making to respond and support different demographics. They identify the need to broaden those efforts across all ages, and the capacity building these organizations need to sustain and expand their work.

Life course: Connie brought together some of the threads of the discussion. Every group echoed what research says about all facets of affordability and accessibility: is the housing maintained or mouldy, is it an accessible neighbourhood with services, is there access to


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