Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people. More than half (53%) of the residents of Toronto identify as female, of whom 47.6% are racialized minorities who collectively continue to struggle from the health, social, economic, and community impacts of the opioid epidemic that has seen an unprecedented 81% increase in overdose deaths. Unstable housing and concurrent mental health concerns have been linked to increased risk of substance misuse and related mortality. Despite the concentration of addiction, mental health, and housing services in big cities, the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed deep inequities in access to help for women and gender diverse LGBTQ2S+ people with substance use challenges. There is a particular need to address the gender-specific needs of women with substance use challenges who belong to racialized and/orLGBTQ2S+ communities through the co-design of urban solutions that will lead to healthy cities for all. This project seeks to maximize the health-promoting potential of urban addiction services by engaging stakeholders and communities to identify research and service-related priorities that follow the lead of people with living and lived experiences (PWLE) of substance use and their families and friends. This work requires time and trust to build truly collaborative partnerships across multiple sectors that engage communities in ways that are not tokenistic but that deepen community connections and help build resilient and thriving urban communities. This planning initiative will create a cross-sector strategic advisory table consisting of (PWLE), family and friends, community groups, municipal, social, and health service providers, and lay community members to examine the needs and barriers to supporting spaces and places for community healing and connection for women and racialized and/or LGBTQ2+ women who use substances in order to identify research, service, and policy priorities and future collaborations.