Toronto’s affordable housing wait list set a new record in June of 2012 – hitting an all-time high of 85,578 households. The wait list, which measures the number of households (not individuals) who apply for affordable housing, has set a new record every month since the recession of 2008. The huge demand for a affordable homes underlines the serious […]
Archives for July 2012
Hardship Fund is safe… but for how long?
Toronto woke to the good news this morning that the Hardship Fund has been reinstated. As we blogged yesterday, City staff had cut the fund – which provides essential medical supports to people who do not receive social assistance, but who have very low or precarious incomes – as of July 1 because a new […]
Three reasons why cutting the Hardship Fund is unfair and inequitable
News emerged this morning that the City has quietly cut the Hardship Fund – a fund that provides essential medical supports to people who do not receive social assistance, but who have very low or precarious incomes. The Fund meets the needs of residents where the cost of medical items would cause undue financial hardship. […]
Continue ReadingThree reasons why cutting the Hardship Fund is unfair and inequitable
The Wellesley Hospital Legacy: 100 Years Later
This is a presentation delivered by our co-chair Sue Williams about the legacy of the Wellesley Hospital. For more information on the history of the Wellesley Institute please see Our History page. The Wellesley Hospital Legacy 1912-2012 from Wellesley Institute
Continue ReadingThe Wellesley Hospital Legacy: 100 Years Later
Actions to address the impact of cuts to refugee health benefits
As we have previously blogged, the federal government recently cut health benefits for many refugees. In The Real Cost of Cutting Refugee Health Benefits, the Wellesley Institute argued that these cuts would have an unfair and inequitable impact on some of the most vulnerable people in Canada. It is totally predictable that the costs for […]
Continue ReadingActions to address the impact of cuts to refugee health benefits
Community safety and security, gun violence and population health
Recent shootings in Toronto have raised public debate about community safety and security. Once the shooting starts, it is clear that a strong police response is required, along with effective criminal sanctions. The City of Toronto spends more than a billion dollars annually to fund its police services, and they uphold a wide variety of […]
Continue ReadingCommunity safety and security, gun violence and population health
Refugees are feeling the real cost of cuts to health benefits
Nearly two weeks have passed since the federal government cut health benefits for many refugees, and the real costs are beginning to show. Dr. Anna Banerji, a specialist in children’s infectious diseases at St. Joseph’s and St. Michael’s hospitals, has gone public with a case of a four-and-a-half-year-old refugee girl who almost died of meningitis […]
Continue ReadingRefugees are feeling the real cost of cuts to health benefits
Killer heat and smog: Bad for our population health, need to focus on long-term strategies
Toronto continues to suffer under extreme heat – along with many other places throughout North America. The very high temperatures, combined with humidity, are not merely uncomfortable, but deadly for the health of individual people and the population health of the entire community. Toronto Public Health has useful information on extreme heat, including information on […]
Policy Impact on Aboriginal Housing in Toronto
The Wellesley Institute’s Director of Housing and Innovation, Michael Shapcott, delivered a presentation on gaining policy impact on complex urban issues, using Aboriginal housing in Toronto as a case study, for a public policy class at Seneca College on July 4. Policy Impact on Aboriginal Housing in Toronto View more presentations from Wellesley Institute.
Continue ReadingPolicy Impact on Aboriginal Housing in Toronto
New WI research underlines health, equity and social benefits of scattered site housing
An all-day ‘ideas forum’ sponsored by the City of Toronto on July 3 will take a detailed look at plans for the sell-off of more than 600 of Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s affordable homes. A new research paper by Wellesley Institute analyst Steve Barnes and a discussion paper from Wellesley Institute Director of Housing and […]