In Southern Health-Santé Sud, Healthy Together Now (HTN) provides grant opportunities that promote health equity, prioritize groups that are underserved and supports structures that remove unfair and avoidable barriers to health.

Our Healthy Living Team has been summarizing the data for the 2022-2023 funding year with a grant theme of “Increasing Community Belonging”, chosen to encourage social connections in communities, as connection is a foundation to overall health and well-being. The following impacts were found:

• 93 projects funded
• 129 new partnerships established
• $74,138 of in-kind support provided within communities

Projects helped support the following four HTN pillars:

• 93.5% supported mental well-being
• 58% supported physical activity
• 34.4% supported nutrition and healthy eating
• 4.3% addressed commercial tobacco reduction

We also received some highlights of what worked well:

• participants developed new skills including leadership and teamwork
• projects involved reducing barriers to access (eg. transportation, childminding, etc.)
• friendships were strengthened – both new and existing
• generous local donations and support from volunteers enhanced project delivery

Some future considerations groups reflected on were to:

• have a backup plan for unfavorable weather
• improve logistics (eg. space, scheduling, transportation, etc.)
• expand language inclusivity to reduce barriers and reach more participants
• ensure accessibility for all community members
• plan for last minute changes (eg. Cancellations / participation rates)