By Kendall Worth
As readers of my BLOG already know, I write a lot about the general subject of Social Prescribing. My writing and reporting on Social Prescribing includes advocating for a Social Prescribing Organization to get up and running here in Halifax.
Recently, my conversations about this topic within the community have included discussions about the meaning of Community Care. One article that was forwarded to me by a BLOG supporter helped illustrate what Community Care can look like:
See this article here Reasonably published in the Coast
For more information about Social Prescribing, see:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20prescribing
The whole idea behind the Social Prescribing Organization is to help people who live the situations I report on throughout my journalism build networks of social contacts and friendships beyond the professionals they rely on for their medical and counselling-related needs. Doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counsellors all play important roles in people's lives. However, they cannot replace friendship, belonging, and community.
When we hear the term "Community Care," many of us immediately think about health care services, counselling services, home care programs, and other professional supports. We may think about programs such as the one discussed in this BLOG post:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2023/09/by-kendall-worth-i-recently-interviewed.html
These services are important and often necessary. However, I believe we need to broaden our understanding of what Community Care means.
Wouldn't it be nice if Community Care could also mean having a community of friends who genuinely care about one another?
This is the type of Community Care I am talking about when I discuss the Social Prescribing Organization. Community Care should not only be something that happens through professional services. It should also happen through healthy friendships, social connections, peer support, and communities where people look out for one another.
It is because of what is illustrated in the paragraph above that the idea of a Community Care Element, along with the four elements I have already written about, becomes so important.
Let me recap each element to explain.
1st Element
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2026/04/proposal-for-non-professional.html
What needs to be understood is that every situation is different from one person to the next. Some people may only have one friend in their lives because of social anxiety, disability-related barriers, or other circumstances. This recent BLOG post provides an example:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2026/06/managing-friendships-is-never-easy-when.html
These are examples of the types of people who could benefit from the Non-Professional Friendship Peer Support Workers discussed in the first element. The goal is to help people begin building social connections and reduce the isolation that many experience.
2nd Element
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2026/05/halifax-faces-growing-social-isolation.html
In this element, I discuss how support groups, friendship skills workshops, and boundary workshops can bring people with lived experience together. These types of supports help people learn from one another while creating opportunities for social connection. This is one example of how we can create positive social impact while reducing social isolation.
3rd Element
In this element, I discuss how Community Voice and Advocacy not only bring people together, but also create opportunities for people to be heard. As illustrated in this BLOG post Here: https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2026/05/community-voice-advocacy-this-is-third.html
One example is how when a group of caring people can come together to push back against government cuts and advocate for change. Community Care is not only about supporting one another personally; it is also about standing together when communities face challenges. For more on what this paragraph brings to light see here.
4th Element
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-safe-socializing-hub-formally-known.html
The Safe Socializing Hub creates a physical space where people can come together, build friendships, and participate in activities without many of the barriers that often exist in traditional social environments. For many people experiencing social isolation, having a safe and welcoming place to socialize is an important part of building community.
When I step back and look at these four elements together, I realize they all have something in common. They are all forms of Community Care.
The first element helps people build connections. The second element helps people strengthen those connections. The third element helps people come together around shared concerns and common goals. The fourth element provides a safe space where those relationships can grow.
What I am beginning to realize is that Community Care may in fact be the thread that ties all four elements together.
Many of the people I interview through my journalism live with social isolation, poverty, disabilities, mental health challenges, or a combination of these circumstances. While professional services may provide support during appointments, many people still go home to empty apartments and spend much of their time alone.
You know, when you look at the concept of non-professional Community Care, if we had an official system of Community Care built around social connection, perhaps many of the people I advocate for through my BLOG would have more friends with whom they could do things like:
• Watch movies together.
•
Meet for coffee.
• Go for walks.
• Visit each other's
homes.
• Simply spend time together and support one another
through life's challenges.
One of the solutions I frequently report on through my BLOG is Solutions for Mitigating Social Isolation.
This includes my reporting on Social isolation itself.
When people live in poverty, social isolation can become another hardship they experience alongside food insecurity and housing insecurity. More recently, I published this BLOG post here:
https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/2026/06/managing-friendships-is-never-easy-when.html
In that article, I discussed how Flow only has one friend she regularly socializes with. Flow is not alone. Many of the people I advocate for have no friends they socialize with at all, while others only have one close friend, as Flow does. Often, anxiety, disabilities, and other life circumstances make it difficult to build and maintain social connections.
This is one reason why I believe Community Care should not only mean professional supports. It should also mean creating opportunities for people to build healthy friendships and meaningful social networks within their communities.
What if we built systems that intentionally helped people create meaningful friendships and social connections?
What if Community Care meant having someone who could check in on you when you are struggling, help you navigate a difficult situation, or simply spend time with you?
One example of what stronger Community Care could provide is having someone you could list as an emergency contact. As I discussed in this article:
Many people living in poverty and social isolation struggle with this very issue.
A stronger Community Care system could also reduce the extent to which people must depend on charities to meet basic needs. As I discussed in this article:
While government policy changes such as Basic Income are still needed, stronger social networks can help people share information, resources, opportunities, and support with one another.
Perhaps it is time to think of Community Care as more than a professional service. Perhaps Community Care should also mean building communities where people know each other, care about each other, and support each other through life's challenges.
As I continue to develop the Social Prescribing Organization, I am beginning to think that Community Care Networks may become a fifth element of the proposal. After all, the goal is not simply to connect people to services. The goal is to help people build meaningful relationships and become part of communities where they genuinely belong.
Community Care Networks are still an idea in development, but the more conversations I have about Social Prescribing, the more I believe they may be an important piece of the puzzle. If we are serious about reducing social isolation and improving mental health outcomes, then we need to think not only about services, but also about helping people build friendships, social connections, and communities where they truly belong.
Call to Action
The idea of Community Care Networks is still evolving, and I welcome feedback from readers. If you are someone with lived experience of social isolation, a disability, poverty, mental health challenges, or if you work in health care, social services, community organizations, or government, I invite you to think about this question:
What would it take to build communities where people are not only connected to services, but also connected to one another?
If you support the vision of a Social Prescribing Organization in Halifax, I encourage you to share this article, discuss these ideas with others, and join the growing conversation about how we can create stronger communities where people have opportunities to build friendships, find belonging, and access meaningful Community Care beyond professional services alone.
Together, we can help create communities where no one has to face social isolation alone.
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