Wellesley Institute’s Thriving in the City research works towards a reality where all residents in the Greater Toronto Area have the resources to achieve a healthy life. Thriving means having resources to meet their physical, social, and psychological health needs now and in the future. It includes having resources to meet health needs related to food and nutrition, physical activity, personal care, and shelter. But it also goes beyond this to consider the resources needed to meaningfully connect with others, access quality care such as child or seniors’ care, and adequately save for one’s future.
We have expanded the Thriving in the City work by applying the approach to families with young children. The Thriving in the City for families: A framework for income and health report clarifies and identifies what goods, resources, and services a family with young children in the GTA needs for health and well-being. The Thriving in the City for families: What does it cost to live a healthy life report builds off the framework and aims to estimate the costs of the goods, resources, and services to estimate the level of income required for families to thrive. This will provide a starting place for broader conversation about what can be done (i.e., through wages, income support, and investments in social determinants of health such as housing, child care, and health care) to ensure all families in the GTA have the opportunity to live healthy, thriving lives.
Previously, Wellesley Institute applied this approach to establish a thriving framework and income threshold report for single working-age adults (age 25-40) in the GTA, as well as a thriving framework and income threshold report for older adults (age 65-74) in the GTA.