Maryanne McMullen, the CEO of The Next Music Generation (TNMG) advocates for
homelessness and poverty.
McMullen is passionate about bringing transparency and equality to the healthcare system as she
stands with the communities with the most need. She is serving the community as a member of
Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT) and working to bring positive change
through her continuous efforts.
She has her project called 'Our heart beats together’. It is a non-profit, non-governmental
Organization that works for the betterment of the community.
Hazelle Palmer, chair of the Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT) group of
health and social service partners who work for the health of the community around Toronto. She
has been fulfilling all her responsibility in the best way possible. Hazelle, through her diverse
knowledge, has been leading the Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT) and
helping people who have escaped harsh environments and do not want to live in shelter houses.
She is always eager to work with other organizations working in the Downtown east area so they
can also have a more significant impact.
Basic Care for everyone
Hazelle highlighted the two main issues facing the community: homelessness and mental health.
She added that these are the very basic, and every individual deserves to have them. Also, a
housing issue in the Downtown ECE area needs to be resolved so that everyone who needs
shelter can live peacefully. Food insecurity is another issue. Downtown East Toronto Ontario
Health Team (DETOHT) , as a healthcare team, is not merely focused on the specific healthcare
services; they are doing more than that, including accommodating the people who do not want to
live in shelter houses.
Maryanne, a member of the community advisory council, works directly with the people who
need help. As she has lived a similar experience, she can better understand and serve the
community. Also, getting feedback and listening to their problems help them understand the
situation best.
Three years plan of the Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team
(DETOHT
The Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT) , is working to serve people and
cater to their needs individually rather than making them fit in the same box. Significant changes
take time, so a few years are not enough. It takes a long and continuous effort to change
something at a more considerable level. In the next three years, Downtown East Toronto Ontario
Health Team (DETOHT) aims to provide better and more services to those who need them. But
also expand the network by collaborating with other organizations so that they can make a more
significant impact collectively.
Providing services is not enough to know the effectiveness of any program. It must be ensured
that the work an organization or a team is doing benefits the people around it. This cannot be
estimated without getting feedback from the ordinary people of the community because, anyhow,
the health service/shelter providers are accountable for what they do for the betterment of the
community.
Limited resources make the Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT) consider
collaborating with another professional who can bring something to the table through their
knowledge or lived experience. Because a single organization may (indeed) not have
professionals who can do everything in the best way, people from other organizations like
Maryanne can help bring change in the community.
How do Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT) values
match with the program ‘Our heart beats together.’
Toronto is a diverse city. It welcomes people from diverse backgrounds to come and live
together. In such a city, the solutions to problems like homelessness, poverty, mental health
problems, and food insecurity should be general enough to accommodate everyone regardless of
gender, race, color, background, religion, or any other thing.
'Our hearts beat together' works on the exact principle of treating people equally without
discrimination. It works to bring transparency and equality in the social serving departments.
Still, there are a lot of gaps between what is done and what should be done. So, that’s not
possible to do as a single organization. Diverse professionals can serve the community in a better
way because different people have different experiences and knowledge to share and use.
The city-run program and the interior health counselled Community Program
The city program offers services and help at a broader level and is not for a single community or
area of Toronto. The programs at such a larger level cannot serve/cover the individual needs of
the people as best as the interior health counseled community can because people (from the same
community) can understand others from the same community well.
People do not always need help or healthcare; they sometimes need people to talk to. So, that can
only be done on a community level as the community advisory council is already there. There
should be more drives that can involve more and more people from the community and then can
serve them.
Wrap up!
Downtown East Toronto Ontario Health Team (DETOHT) and Our Heart Beats Together
(OHBT) are working to bring change to the community by serving the homeless and people with
mental health issues. They both can work together in a better way to make this program more
effective. As serving the community is essential, so does getting feedback from them.
Community advisory council members play a significant role as they connect with the suffering
people directly. Expanding the council to involve more community members can also play a
significant role in changing the community.
