COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF NORTH KINGSTON

Submitted by jsuart on Tue, 2011-09-27 16:03

Living in north Kingston neighbourhoods is a story about living with poverty, but it is also a story of a community with a high level of resilience. North Kingston is by no means the only area in the City that faces challenges. But in their 2010 report, If I could change one thing… the Kingston Community Health Centres (KCHC) found that north Kingston has all the markers of a community challenged by poverty – including a high percentage of people living on low incomes, low high school completion rates, low home ownership rates, high density of social housing and high unemployment. The geographic area defined as north Kingston is actually made up of a diverse set of neighbourhoods where people live out a varied set of experiences. The KCHC report found:

  • The 106 community people interviewed ranked both their physical and mental health significantly lower than the Canadian average – with rates only about half as high. The north Kingston community members interviewed also experiencing stress and smoking at approximately double the Canadian average.
  • On the positive side, community members reported they are more physically active than most Canadians. And, over 55% of community members interviewed had gone to a park, green space or out into nature frequently or very often in the past year.
  • Despite their individual health challenges, many of the people interviewed were engaged in activities that contribute to community health and build social inclusion. Whether helping neighbours with chores and childcare, volunteering at a church or school or being a member of a community group, many north Kingston residents are willing to be actively engaged in the life of their community.
  • When considering community health as a whole, the quality and affordability of housing stood out as the top priority. In addition to housing, higher incomes, supports and services for children and youth and clean and green neighbourhoods are the community health issues that people care about. While certainly not a fix-all solution, mixed income housing was suggested by several service providers as a redevelopment strategy.