Communities change. At our YMCA, we have over 170 years of experience on the front lines, and we know our communities. We grow and evolve as they do so that we are always working to meet people’s most pressing needs.
As we emerge from the challenges posed by the pandemic, our societal challenges have become pervasive in our communities. In our recent past, we isolated to protect each other. Today, we’re experiencing the impact of social disconnection and research is validating the importance of social connection to our overall health and wellbeing. The recent U.S. Surgeon General's Report on loneliness and social isolation sheds light on the significant impact of this silent epidemic on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Social isolation not only worsens older people’s quality of life, and risk of dementia, it contributes to 45,000 deaths per year in Canada.
Connecting to care is another challenge our communities are facing. Be it healthcare, childcare, or meaningful opportunities for our youth, these national challenges are being felt locally by our members and participants. In Canada, childcare spots are available for only 29 per cent of those who need them, and approximately 15 per cent of Nova Scotians are waiting for a family doctor or a nurse practitioner during a physician shortage.
We know that housing costs, income levels, and Nova Scotia’s aging population have affected the province’s economic health and exacerbate affordability challenges. When people can’t afford groceries, safe housing, or childcare, the stress alone has negative consequences. Rising costs across the board are making it difficult to build healthy communities. Nova Scotia’s child poverty rate is the 4th highest in Canada, the highest in Atlantic Canada, and that rate is higher for racialized, immigrant, and Indigenous children. Of 27 Canadian cities, Halifax has become the least affordable for young people, and young people experience the lowest income.
It is crucial for us to address these pressing issues head-on. Our friends, families, and communities will depend on our willingness to lean in.
The YMCA has long been committed to providing safe spaces for individuals to come together, form lasting relationships, and build support networks that promote overall well-being. However, we cannot tackle these challenges alone. It is our collective responsibility to address these issues in our schools, businesses, public spaces, and our neighborhoods. We call upon community leaders, charities, government, and the private sector to join forces and become the solution, by actively knitting together the social bonds that make us a stronger Halifax.
Together, we can create inclusive, accessible, and affordable spaces, promote social interaction, and foster a sense of belonging that strengthens the foundation of our collective well-being and pushes back against the forces that divide us.
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