A connected community response to COVID-19 in Toronto

Abstract

In this commentary, we describe initial learnings from a community-based research project that explored how the relational space between residents and formal institutions in six marginalised communities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada impacted grassroots responses to the health and psycho-social stresses that were created and amplified by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our research found that grassroots community leaders stepped up to fill the gaps left by Toronto’s formal public health and emergency management systems and were essential for mitigating the psycho-social and socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic that exacerbated pre-existing inequities and systemic failures. We suggest that building community resilience in marginalised communities in Toronto can embody health promotion in action where community members, organisational, institutional and government players create the social infrastructure necessary to build on local assets and work together to promote health by strengthening community action, advocating for healthy public policy and creating supportive environments.

Using an Intersectional Lens on Vulnerability and Resilience in Minority and/or Marginalized Groups During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

“…The intersection of racism with socioeconomic status was linked to the impact mitigating strategies had on vulnerability to the virus. Racial/ethnic inequalities were anchored in historical and structural disadvantages for BIPOC individuals, which resulted in lower income as shown in the Canadian context ( Morgan et al, 2022 ). COVID-19 measures targeted individual responsibility and individual behavior by focusing on physical distancing, staying at home, washing hands, or/and wearing masks.…”

“…Relying on grassroots organizations and individual commitments to provide support and connectedness to individuals of a community was not seen as sufficient from a Latin American perspective ( Andia and Chorev, 2021 ). An approach at a structural level was needed, such as political engagement, to recognize and integrate such grassroot and individual responses in an overall strategy to support communities, as discussed in Malaysia and Canada ( Daud, 2021 ; Morgan et al, 2022 ). Structural levels also comprised long-term strategies in terms of adjusting educational materials to include diverse social groups.…”

Cognitive factors influenced physical distancing adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic in a population-specific way

“…Although high community resilience does not appear to contribute to physical distancing adherence, it likely contributes to weathering the pandemic in other ways (e.g. mental health), as resilient communities have many benefits [ 54 , 55 ].…”

Relationships are everything: The underpinnings of grassroots community action in the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto

“…This may, in part, be attributed to the dominant top-down perspective inherent in disaster response where the expertise of emergency management professionals (including epidemiologists) and disaster researchers are seen as more informed, and in some cases more important, than those of community members themselves ( Campbell, Roper-Fetter, & Yoder, 2020 ; Loewenson et al, 2021 ). This is despite a growing body of evidence suggesting that bottom-up, community responses supported by and emergent from the relational fabric in communities are both faster and more attuned to local needs and wants ( Hayward, 2013 ; Morello-Frosch, Brown, Lyson, Cohen, & Krupa, 2011 ; Morgan et al, 2021 ; Pollock et al, 2019 ; Schmeltz et al, 2013 ; Solnit, 2010 ).…”

“…Moreover, while the shutdown procedures instituted by governments in Canada were initially expected to last for several weeks, their months', and years' long duration played a role in further marginalizing communities who were already struggling to access critical resources prior to the pandemic ( Scudellari, 2020 ). The resources needed to maintain such society-wide quarantines or lockdowns, such as food, income and mental health support, were important, and yet support for community-centred mechanisms to connect who needed what from the bottom-up did not exist in the formal plans ( Toronto Public Health, 2020 ; Morgan et al, 2021 ; Public Health Ontario, 2020 ).…”