new leaf project expansion: new funding fuels the fight against health inequalities from homelessness and poverty

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unhoused individuals and those living in poverty face significant challenges regarding health, and foundations for social change aims to improve health outcomes for those marginalized individuals.

by angelica bottaro

published feb 11, 2025

last updated feb 14, 2025

7 minute read

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7 minute read

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vulnerable populations, including those living without set addresses or those who have homes but live below the poverty line, are subjected to a host of different challenges that are beyond their control simply because of their socioeconomic status. getty images

in canada, homelessness and poverty are increasingly significant issues. when a person lives unhoused or in poverty, their ability to seek out and access healthcare becomes severely hindered, leaving them to deal with higher rates of chronic disease, exposure to infectious diseases, and higher rates of mental health declines.

according to recent data on homelessness and poverty, roughly 80,000 canadians are living unhoused, and 3.8 million canadians live at or below the poverty line. that translates to almost 10 per cent of the country’s population.

foundations for social change, a non-profit organization that aims to improve health inequities across the country, has developed a project called new leaf to provide resources for these people in the hopes that they can bring them into better circumstances and, thus, better health.

now, pharmaceutical company novartis canada has provided funding through its $680,000 health equity initiative to support foundations for social change’s new leaf project, helping them reach even more people.

health inequities faced by people living unhoused or in poverty

amber dyce, the ceo of foundations for social change, sees firsthand how complex the challenges this underserved and underrepresented population can face in all aspects of life, including their health.

“poverty and homelessness, specifically, have a number of really big impacts,” she said.

she goes on to note that in the data collected by foundations for social change, those who are unhoused or living in property experience higher rates of:

malnutrition
poor diet
respiratory illness
cardiovascular disease
exposure to infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and hepatitis
skin infections
injury and violence through assaults and trauma
substance use disorder and overdoses
exposure to exploitation and abuse leading to increased stress and trauma
mental illness, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder
increased isolation and loneliness, which can drive severe and chronic physical and psychological health declines

it’s not just that, though. people who belong to these communities have to contend with even more inequities, resulting in a worsened quality of life and early mortality.

“individuals who are living unhoused have significant barriers to healthcare, so limited access to medical services, delayed and inadequate treatment due to biases and discrimination (and) stigma,” she said. “there’s impact on life expectancy, so individuals who are experiencing homelessness, their life expectancy is 17.5 years less than someone who is living housed, and there’s a higher mortality rate due to untreated illnesses, overdoses, exposure to extreme weather.”

she goes on to note that the social and economic barriers are also factors in the decline of overall health in people who are unhoused or in poverty, such as employment barriers and housing instability, stating that all these moving pieces are directly “related to being homeless.”

how the new leaf project is approaching the issue

to make change, dyce and others at foundations for change first had to sit down and gather data on what the state of homelessness and poverty was in a specific area of british columbia, canada, while also creating a unique way to change the course of lives affected by health inequities based on their current financial and residential situation.

in their pilot of the new leaf project, they worked with the university of british columbia to gather this data and then provided a one-time start-up fund to as many people as possible.

“we provided individuals with the one-time cash transfer of $7,500 and some wrap-around supports with a community connector,” she said. “we followed those individuals for 12 months to see if that cash transfer helped stabilize them.”

the people who received the funds used them wisely, and dyce and the team at foundations for social change saw them find housing, spend less money on coping substances, including alcohol and tobacco, and even land work.

“that showed that providing the cash transfer, so income stability, it gave that person the opportunity to find housing and then be able to focus on other things in their life to help stabilize (themselves).”

dyce also noted that by giving people income stability, they also granted them the “autonomy to address their own needs, whether that’s securing housing, accessing healthcare, purchasing necessities, paying back loans or credit cards, or paying back loved ones they borrowed money from and then have become isolated from because they weren’t able to pay that back.”

since life is much like a game of dominoes, when one falls, the rest will follow suit. the new leaf project acts as a reversal of that crash, showing that when one root issue is addressed, the rest of the dominoes will fall back into place.

according to dyce, the results of the project were overwhelmingly positive and, overall, can help to reduce homelessness by enabling people to seek out more gainful employment, education, or skills training programs.

the data collected from the pilot showed that this type of assistance for those living unhoused or in poverty does foster change on both individual and societal levels.

“it offers an evidence-based model,” said dyce. “so, in regard to not looking only at the individual, but looking at the overall impact and outcomes, the current project we’re working on offers a scalable model that we can advocate for larger systemic change in policy changes and government programs and philanthropic efforts.”

the populations of focus include those that are disproportionally affected by homelessness and poverty in the country, such as people who are indigenous and bipoc.

novartis’ funding and the expansion of the project

novartis caught wind of the changes being fostered by foundations for social change and, in december of 2024, announced that it would be giving out more than $680,000 to community-based programs in an effort to help them with their goals of creating a more equitable environment for all canadians, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

this grant is part of their health equity initiative, a program they developed to create a better environment for vulnerable populations.

“at novartis, we believe that equitable access to healthcare is a fundamental right for every individual, regardless of their circumstances,” says mark vineis, country president, novartis canada, in a press release. “with the launch of our health equity initiative and an investment of more than $680,000, we are proud to support organizations that are dedicated to dismantling barriers of access and promoting inclusive health solutions. together, we can drive meaningful change and help work towards a system where all canadians have the opportunity to receive the timely and appropriate care they deserve.”

dyce and those working for foundations for social change are grateful for the additional funding because they currently work on a donations-based system, with eyes on government in the future to grow their initiative and create a more equitable landscape.

“it’s helped us expand the number of individuals we can reach, and it provides us an opportunity to increase the geographic area that we’re looking at,” she said, later continuing, “the hope is to then go to provincial and federal governments for funding to move into other provinces.”

changing the narrative for a better future

while dyce and the foundations for social change team aim to expand their initiative to involve government and policymakers, they also seek to spread awareness about those living in the homeless and impoverished communities because there is a significant amount of stigma and discrimination directed at these communities simply because those who have never walked in their shoes often don’t understand nor empathize with the experience.

dyce notes that people often view those experiencing homelessness as someone who is “choosing to be there or they’ve made bad decisions” when that’s simply not the case.

“the big piece of that is it’s as simple as having a car accident and losing your job and then not being able to pay rent and losing your home,” she said. “or a loved one getting sick, like a child being ill and you having to take care of them, and then again, you lose your job, and then you aren’t able to pay rent, and then you go into a place where you’re not able to provide food for your family.”

she continues, “more often than not, it’s one or two small things that have happened that have just spiralled down, and the way our system currently works is that we have a number of support systems. we have a number of safety nets for our society, but none of them actually help you come back out. they really keep you in a place where you’re just at the water’s edge as opposed to bringing your head back up for breath.”

by addressing the root cause of homelessness, the new leaf expansion project aims to provide the much-needed hand that many canadians need to get back to shore.

to learn more about the novartis health equity initiative, visit their website.

angelica bottaro

angelica bottaro is the lead editor at healthing.ca, and has been content writing for over a decade, specializing in all things health. her goal as a health journalist is to bring awareness and information to people that they can use as an additional tool toward their own optimal health.

new leaf project expansion: new funding fuels the fight against health inequalities from homelessness and poverty

unhoused individuals and those living in poverty face significant challenges regarding health, and foundations for social change aims to improve health outcomes for those marginalized individuals.

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new leaf project expansion: new funding fuels the fight against health inequalities from homelessness and poverty

unhoused individuals and those living in poverty face significant challenges regarding health, and foundations for social change aims to improve health outcomes for those marginalized individuals.

health inequities faced by people living unhoused or in poverty

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