How It All Started

South Markham Connects is led by ACSA, a non-profit, multi-service agency dedicated to addressing community needs and empowering children, youth, newcomers, and underserved communities to build a better tomorrow. Working across York Region, ACSA leads community-driven initiatives in South Markham, including the South Markham Community Action Table (SMCAT), the Neighbourhood Solutions Strategy (NSS), and the Traumatic Incident Response Protocol (TIRP).

Strengthening South Markham has been a long-term, community-led effort rooted in the understanding that safety, well-being, and opportunity are shared responsibilities. Meaningful and lasting change requires collaboration between residents, service providers, and local government. Over the years, the South Markham community has engaged in research, consultations, and planning processes to identify the challenges and priorities that matter most to residents.

This timeline highlights key milestones in that journey, from early efforts to understand community needs, to the establishment of SMCAT, and the launch of initiatives such as TIRP and NSS. Each step reflects the collective commitment of residents and partners to building a stronger, safer, and more connected South Markham.

York Region's Community Safety and Well-Being Plan

Access to the Plan

You can find more information on York Region’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, as well as the Action Plan carried out by the SMCAT.

Timeline

Safety and well-being are a shared responsibility across organizations and sectors, residents and government. To understand safety and well-being in York Region, data and community indicators were used to understand factors affecting community safety and well-being.
York Region adopted a place-based approach, recognizing the diversity and complexities of each community across the region. This approach allows each geographic area to determine which actions would be most effective in addressing the unique needs of each community.
Four communities across York Region were selected to be focus areas for the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan - south central Markham, northern Georgina, central Newmarket, and south-central Richmond Hill.
Through consultation with residents, service providers, school boards, York Regional Police, and local government in each priority area, mental health and mental well-being, housing stability, and economic stability were identified as areas of concern.

From these consultations, key feedback included mention of not knowing where or how to access resources, especially culturally appropriate ones. Participants shared that the priority risks are all interrelated and that the pandemic also made existing risks worse and created new ones. Finally, it was shared that solutions to address these priority issues should be developed by each local community in a collaborative way.
The South Markham Community Action Table (SMCAT) and three other CAT tables in the other three priority areas, were established. The SMCAT consists of a network of residents, service providers and other stakeholders working together to develop local, place-based plans to address the priorities of Housing Stability and Mental Health and Mental Well-Being.

Each Community Action Table developed their own Community Action Plan with short, medium, and long-term goals to reflect priority issues in each community identified by the CAT. This Community Action Plan can be found in York Region’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (pg. 62).
The Neighbourhood Solutions Strategy (NSS) begins to consolidate efforts to support historically low-income residents affected by rapid GTA development.

Builds on the 2020 SMCAT Consultations and Community Safety and Well-Being Plan framework to improve access to housing, services, and economic opportunities.

Partners with ACSA and local stakeholders to create a shared action plan for community-led solutions.
Implements preventative and risk-intervening actions from York Region’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.

Coordinates key partners and community services to provide safety, healing, and support after traumatic incidents.