A Warm Meal and a Bed: Intersections of Housing and Food Security in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relationships between housing, food security, and health. We begin by reviewing the current literature on the intersections of housing and food security, emphasizing the current gaps in knowledge in the areas of building infrastructure, in-house food programs, and building context for social housing. Derived from the literature review, we present a model designed to highlight the relationships between food, housing, and health. Following this, we provide a case study of housing and food security for residents of the Downtown Eastside. By examining the experiences of residents struggling to find both food and shelter within a very low-income context, we underscore the ways in which food, health, and housing intersect. We conclude by outlining future research directions that will enhance understanding of these intersections.