Wellesley Institute

Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.

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Toronto Western Hopsital

The Struggle To Eat Well: The Report Of The Concurrent Disorder Nutrition Project

Principal Organization: Toronto Western Hopsital
Partner Organization: St. Stephen’s Community House
Principal Investigator: Berit Dellerud

Researchers interviewed 29 people living with concurrent mental health and substance use issues to identify what obstacles they faced in accessing food. Over one-third of respondents were homeless or staying with family. Common barriers to access included lack of income, inflexible food service schedules, and a lack of food resources outside of the downtown core. In addition, respondents were not primarily concerned with food and nutrition when using drugs/alcohol or looking for shelter. Researchers noted that a surprisingly small number of service agencies knew what the term “concurrent disorder” meant. Researchers developed several recommendations for providing food services specifically for people with concurrent mental health and substance use issues including a pilot service project.

The Struggle To Eat Well: The Report Of The Concurrent Disorder Nutrition Project

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Acknowledgement of Traditional Land

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.