Poverty and the pandemic: It’s worse at the margins

In 2004, United Way Toronto released a groundbreaking report, “Poverty by Postal Code,” which made it clear that people’s socioeconomic status and access to services were largely determined by where they lived. Now along comes COVID-19, and Toronto Public Health releases a map tracking the infection rate of the disease by neighbourhood. Sadly, this map shows the disparity is still prevalent: places lacking programs and service, where people live in cramped quarters, where they are dependent on public transit that is infrequent and inadequate, where they do not have the option to stay home and keep safe — they are most at risk of infection.

These people, working in longterm care, hospital support, grocery stores, factories and delivery services, have kept the city going during this crisis. But they don’t live in the light coloured areas of the map.

They live in poorer areas — and they’re suffering disproportionately for it. We have known for years about these vulnerable neighbourhoods in our city, where people have lower incomes, are food insecure and more prone to chronic disease and therefore more at risk during a pandemic.

We urgently need a provincial strategy for places like Scarborough that are now smouldering hot spots of COVID-19 — where the virus continues to circulate amongst densely populated, poorly ventilated buildings and in underfunded long-term-care facilities.

Toronto Public Health, to its credit, pushed for the collection of disaggregated data to track the virus based on demographic indicators. But even after these findings were released — unmistakably mapping the city’s hot spots — the provincial government continues to both question the need for such data and dither on what to do about it.

The province argued that releasing the data could stigmatize communities.

I believe that sharing this data at the very least gives people added information they may need to protect themselves.

Here are a few suggestions to help alleviate the spread of the virus in these hard-hit areas:

> Increased mobile testing in neighbourhoods where outbreaks are most severe.

> Providing separate spaces for people infected to quarantine safely.

> Supplying masks with instructions on how to properly use them.

> Co-ordinating food delivery to help limit movement by infected people.

> Distributing reloadable grocery cards to replace school nutrition programs.

The hot spots map reinforces the need for policies and action based on the realities of poverty. The pandemic will not end until neighbourhoods like Scarborough and North Etobicoke — home to low income, vitally important workers and vulnerable populations — are safe.