It’s more common than you think

It’s common
1 in 8 households report not having enough resources to eat nutritious food. That’s how common it is. The reality for your clients living in social housing is worse than that. The magnitude of food insecurity among social housing tenants may be as high as 70%.

You’ve probably thought about this before — once a client leaves your clinic, what are they walking back into? How big of an impact is their world going to have on the care plan that you’ve jut put together with them?

It’s big
The impact that food insecurity is having on your patient’s treatment is likely big. The negative effects of food insecurity have been well researched and range from physical health issues like diabetes to mental health issues like anxiety. The impact of food insecurity is probably one of the reasons they are in your care in the first place. It will present a challenge to their healing.

We all win
The list of positive outcomes for more food secure patients is long. Simply put, it improves their health. It also benefits us as a health care organization and intersects with several of our strategic objectives and True North Goals. By paying attention to food insecurity, we can improve the effectiveness of the resources that we’re putting into caring for people and help to reduce health inequities.

A Guide
The Population Health Team developed the “Food Security in Social Housing Action Framework and Resource Guide” to provide ideas on how to address food insecurity in tenant populations. While aimed at social housing providers, the Guide may be of use to staff who work with clients in programs like community gardens, who contract with supportive housing sites, or who would like to have a better understanding of food insecurity.