Guelph and Wellington County received a check-up through the launch of The Guelph Community Foundation’s Vital Signs report.
The topline data-based report takes the pulse of the community and highlights what is being done well, and where improvements could be made.
The report states that the local economy is diverse, median incomes are high and unemployment is often the lowest in the country.
The environment is beautiful and healthy and communities are safe.
Generally, people are active and feel like they belong.
The report identifies a number of challenges as well.
Many people face barriers that prevent them from fully participating in everything the community has to offer.
Thousands struggle with housing affordability and households experience food insecurity. Others face mental health or mobility issues.
Some of the community’s teen literacy scores are declining and one in three kindergarten students is vulnerable in at least one aspect of their early development.
“The purpose of the Vital Signs report is to engage the community in important conversations across Guelph and Wellington County,” said Chris Davison, chair of the board at the Guelph Community Foundation.
“The snapshot of data is intended to encourage us all to think about what is most pressing and to ask the bigger questions.”
There are two “living” data portals that complement the topline data of the Vital Signs report, where people can dig deeper for more information.
These data portals are hubs where new statistics will be organized and housed as they are released in the coming months.
This Vital Signs project is a collaborative effort with Toward Common Ground, a partnership of 13 local social and health service organizations, the Guelph Community Foundation and the University of Guelph’s Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI).
