One of the biggest privileges of my career has been helping to create Dunn House nearly seven years ago. But even more, it’s been working as a physician onsite every week since it opened its doors.
I’ve met residents celebrating birthdays they never thought they’d reach. People who’ve reconnected with family. Palliative patients who now have a home—and can pass in peace. Residents who’ve gone back to school and earned their diplomas. People redefining what health and wellbeing mean to them. And people who now lead recovery groups and serve as expert advisors to the Mayor’s office—their lived experience shaping policy.
Yesterday, I had the honour of speaking at the federal announcement of an unprecedented investment to scale this Social Medicine Housing Model with Dunn House Phase 2.
Housing is health. The data shows it—dramatic reductions in emergency visits and hospital bed days. But it’s the stories that drive it home.
Thank you to our CEO Kevin Smith, the UHN Board , our entire Social Medicine team, every level of government, and community partners—Fred Victor, UWGTA, TNG, PARC, Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, and Inner City Health Associates—for making this kind of care possible every single day.
Grateful to everyone on this journey.