Environmental equity

The living and working conditions of racialized communities have long faced neglect. There exists a critical need to advocate for affordable quality housing that is accessible given the unique challenges of Muslim communities who can be found congregated in poorly resourced areas with high levels of crime and poverty. The long standing joke or oppressive jibe is that these neighborhoods are high in the issues they are because of the criminals congregated there, or the poor people congregated there. Poverty does not equate to crime, many individuals in these communities start out with hope and find themselves disillusioned by the harsh conditions of their homes, and their workplaces. Women go to work and are harshly scrutinized for the cleaniness of the workplace and their homes which falls disproportionately on them leading to hostility and stress that spills over into work performance and presenteeism at home. One way to respond to the need to improve the home environment is to provide home supports for these struggling communities to improve the environmental and physical conditions of the home to reduce stress, improve health quality and improve quality of life measures. Simple cost effective ways to do this that also promote income generating opportunities include:

• Providing occasional housekeeping services for the upkeep of low income homes and to reduce the stress on families who may not have the time due to long hours and low wages

• Providing donations of fans, air conditioners, art supplies, air purifiers, carpets, rugs, small decorations to improve the home and the energy at home - improoving the environment can improve health improving performance at work and engagement at home leading to better quality of family life at home, reducing conflict and the fear of involvement of children's aid societies due to improved interactions at home

• Implementing smoke free policies in all workplaces and residential settings to improve respiratory health for individuals