Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.
Wellesley Institute’s Pre-Budget Written Submission Canada has significant inequities in the social determinants of health, including housing, income, education, discrimination and access to health and social care. We also continue to see these inequities played out through the ongoing disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and long COVID on Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities, low-income […]
Continue ReadingFederal budget 2024: COVID highlights need for health equity
In Canada, 31 per cent of older adults are immigrants, and up to 50 percent are not fluent in either official language. For those with limited English proficiency, language is frequently a barrier when seeking or accessing health and community support services. This includes housing supports, where a lack of translation and interpretation supports could […]
Evictions are a key source of housing instability for low-income older renters. This community is particularly vulnerable to evictions due to a complex interplay of financial, social, and health factors that place housing at-risk. While research suggests social housing may offer some protection against evictions, older adults may still be at risk, particularly for non-payment […]
Continue ReadingEnhancing eviction prevention supports for older adults in social housing Download PublicationEnhancing Eviction Prevention Supports for Older Adults in Social Housing
In advance of last year’s provincial budget, we called for important, necessary public strategies to build a New Normal in Ontario. Our focus was around poverty, homelessness, race, healthcare, mental health and well-being, while leading the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, we have not seen the progress we hoped to on those measures. […]
Toronto has significant, and worsening, health inequities. Wellesley Institute research shows that social factors such as housing, income, education, and access to social supports, are vital for individual and community health as well as Canada’s economic growth. Eliminating inequities in the social determinants of health must be our priority. We can build a future in […]
Continue ReadingToronto Housing Action Plan: Who will it be for?
A previous Wellesley Institute study on formal eviction applications in Toronto found that areas with higher proportions of low-income households had 2.5 times higher eviction filing rates. Independent of this association, areas where more Black renters lived had rates that were two times higher. Building on previous work, this latest report explores how local service […]
Continue Reading“Fighting to keep your home in a community”: Understanding evictions through service provider and community leader perspectives in North York communities Download PublicationFighting to Keep Your Home in a Community
According to the latest census data several changes have taken place in Toronto’s housing market which have had consequences for population health. More people are renting their homes than ever before, women and older adults continue to live in unhealthy rental housing, and fewer homes are available at rents affordable to low-income households. Additionally, many […]
Continue ReadingErosion of affordable rental housing in Toronto: Findings from the 2021 census
This report focuses on older adult tenants with limited English proficiency who live in Toronto’s social housing. Many expressed challenges understanding tenant-related documents and announcements as they were often communicated in English. This made it difficult for tenants to engage with housing staff and participate in their community. For older tenants with limited English proficiency […]
Continue Reading“Can you send someone who speaks my language?” Language barriers among older adults living in Toronto’s social housing Download PublicationLanguage Barriers Report
This paper examines long-term population-level housing affordability challenges and trends in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) from 1991 to 2016. This project’s goal is to analyze how housing affordability has changed for the general population and for different socio-demographic groups over this 25-year study period. Affordability is measured using shelter cost to income ratio […]
Continue ReadingWidening inequities: Long-term housing affordability in the Toronto CMA Download PublicationWidening inequities Long-term housing affordability
The pandemic and the associated recession provide an opportunity for us to reconsider the ‘normal’ state of affairs. Now is the time to envision a bold new normal and learn from the failures of the previous status quo. The old normal In the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated number of Canadians […]
Continue ReadingA new normal for ending homelessness: Collective action towards adequate support
We wish to acknowledge this land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.
Revised by the Ceremonial Committee at the University of Toronto Office of Indigenous Initiatives in April 2021.