South Markham Community Action Table (SMCAT)

About

Funded by York Region, The South Markham Community Action Table (SMCAT) is a community-driven collaborative planning table established through York Region’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. It brings together a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including residents, Community Ambassadors, community agencies, service providers, grassroots groups, local municipalities, school boards, faith-based organizations, and York Regional Police. Together, these partners work to address complex and interconnected issues affecting South Markham, with a strong focus on housing stability and mental health and mental well-being.

Co-led by ACSA Community Services and the Senior Services Network (SSN), SMCAT intentionally brings lived experience and professional expertise together to inform meaningful, community-led action. The table is grounded in the belief that lasting change happens when residents are genuinely involved in shaping the solutions that affect their lives. Through strong collaboration across sectors and with residents at the centre, SMCAT advances practical, community-informed initiatives that respond to local needs and help build safer, more connected communities in South Markham.

Priorities

Developed by the SMCAT as part of York Region’s Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, the South Markham Community Action Plan (found here, page 62) serves as a shared roadmap for strengthening community safety, stability, and well-being in South Markham. The Community Action Plan reflects priorities identified directly by residents, community partners, and service providers to strengthen housing stability and mental health/mental well-being in South Markham. It outlines short-, medium-, and long-term actions that respond to community-identified needs and guide collective efforts.

The Action Plan serves as a practical framework for collaboration, helping partners align efforts, identify opportunities for shared action, and focus resources where they can have the greatest impact. Actions within the Plan are intended to improve access to services, reduce systemic barriers, strengthen coordination across organizations, and support resident leadership and participation in decision-making. While actions are phased over time, many are ongoing and evolve in response to community feedback, emerging issues, and changing local conditions. You can see the South Markham Community Action Plan in more detail below.

Projects

Over the past three years, through York Region’s Community Investment Fund Community Safety and Well-Being Grant, the SMCAT delivered projects that advanced actions within the South Markham Community Action Plan. These initiatives aimed to build resident capacity, strengthen service navigation, address barriers to housing stability, reduce social isolation, amplify resident voices, foster cross-sector collaboration, and promote long-term systems change.

H.O.M.E. Project

The H.O.M.E. (Housing Opportunities Modelling Empowerment) Project was designed to build resident capacity around housing stability and service navigation, identify and address barriers to accessing housing and community services, and promote peer-to-peer support and resident-led knowledge sharing.

Key Activities:

Conducted community-based research through the SMCAT Housing Needs Survey to understand how residents navigated services and what barriers existed.
Developed a Speaker Series and workshops providing information, resources, and referrals for housing stability and mental health supports.
Encouraged peer-to-peer neighbor support and resident-led sharing of learning to strengthen community engagement.
Created a service navigation website with ongoing feedback from residents to improve accessibility and usability.

From the results of the SMCAT Housing Needs Survey, the SMCAT worked with community partners to develop the H.O.M.E. Project Speaker Series, which included the following workshops:

Making Markham Home - In collaboration with SMCAT Resident Leaders
Mental Health Support Teams - In collaboration with York Regional Police (YRP) and Your Support Services Network (YSSN)
Civics 101 - In collaboration with SMCAT Resident Leaders
RentSmart - In collaboration with Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
Spoken Word - In collaboration with Health Empowerment & Arts Leverage (H.E.A.L.)
John Howard Society Youth Services Information Session - In collaboration with John Howard Society of York Region (JHSYR)
Navigating Subsidized Housing in York Region - In collaboration with York Region
Human Rights and Housing - In collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights (CCHR)
Self-Care in a Challenging Time - In collaboration with Carefirst
Repairs and Maintenance - In collaboration with the CCHR
Budgeting 101 - In collaboration with Women’s Centre of York Region
Effective Communication/Interpersonal Relationships - In collaboration with Carefirst
Eviction Prevention and Tenants Rights - In collaboration with the Community Legal Clinic of York Region (CLCYR)
Music: What Home Feels Like - In collaboration with H.E.A.L.
Budgeting for Your First Home - In collaboration with The Financial Moment

BEACON Project

The BEACON Project aimed to empower residents to engage in advocacy and civic participation, strengthen service navigation and resident leadership, foster cross-sector collaboration to address housing stability and mental health, and explore long-term systemic issues such as illegal rentals to inform policy change.

Key Activities:

Developed an accessible Advocacy Toolkit to guide residents through advocacy and community engagement.
Delivered workshops to equip residents with skills, knowledge, and confidence to advocate for themselves and participate in governance.
Partnered with community organizations to enhance equitable access to housing and mental health supports.
Built resident leadership through Community Ambassadors who provided peer mentorship, training, and guidance in service navigation and civic engagement.
Explored long-term impacts of illegal rentals on infrastructure and community well-being to inform future policy.
Hosted the Annual Community Summit, providing a platform for residents, service providers, and government officials to discuss housing, mental health, and emerging community needs, fostering dialogue and collaboration.

The SMCAT Advocacy Toolkit was created to equip South Markham residents and allies with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to advocate for safe housing, mental well-being, and a more inclusive, equitable community. The digital version of this toolkit through this project can be found here.

Advocacy and Engagement Workshops included:

Election Readiness series (2 parts)
Policy & Housing Options
Programs, Services & Supports for Tenants
Human Rights in Housing
Your Voice Matters
From Concern to Action

Mental Well-Being Research Project

The South Markham Community Action Table supported York University in a collaborative, community-engaged, and equity-oriented project funded by York Region and United Way Greater Toronto. The purpose of this research was to learn from various perspectives on the ways to support mental health and mental well-being of residents in South Markham. The image below summarized many of the insights shared by local residents and service providers.

Moving forward, the SMCAT will be working to provide services that are reflective of the insights shared from this study and from continuing to listen to the feedback and insights of South Markham residents.

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Benches 2 Bridges Project

The Benches 2 Bridges Project aimed to reduce social isolation in South Markham, with a focus on newcomers and seniors, strengthen resident-led capacity building through creative engagement, and increase awareness of mental health, well-being, and housing resources.

Key Activities:

Partnered with faith-based and cultural organizations to create inclusive spaces for diverse residents.
Hosted community consultations to gather stories and experiences, which informed bench designs.
Delivered bench-painting workshops where residents created artwork reflecting their communities.
Installed benches with QR codes linking to SMCAT’s resource website for housing and mental health supports.
Shared resources at consultations and workshops, and hosted the SMCAT Annual Housing Summit to celebrate the project and promote dialogue around housing, mental health, and social isolation.

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B2B at 105 Gibson Centre

“Working with diverse women of all ages, from different backgrounds like Chinese, Sri Lankan, and Russian, felt like a family—a village. We all contributed in different ways, even if it wasn’t painting, and that made the experience meaningful. I’m proud of the bond we formed as we worked toward a common goal. That connection was priceless."

– Benches 2 Bridges Participant

At 105 Gibson Centre, the B2B Project brought together women, newcomers and long-time residents alike, from diverse cultural backgrounds and life experiences, creating a supportive and family-like atmosphere during consultations and workshops. Participants, many of whom had felt isolated before, shared personal stories, supported each other in various ways, and worked collaboratively on the bench painting, making a meaningful and lasting contribution to the centre.

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B2B at Hagerman Corners

“We have never done something like this before. It really keeps the mind going, it’s something to do. All the fun, jokes and laughter - we need more of these things to attend and de-stress.”

– Hagerman Corners Residents

Hagerman Corners Community Homes is a lively intergenerational community, home to both seniors and families. Through the B2B Project, residents engaged in meaningful conversations about their experiences, challenges, and hopes for the future, emphasizing the importance of intergenerational connections.

Hagerman Corners is a place where neighbours look out for one another, fostering a community built on joy and love. This sense of togetherness was evident during the community consultations and bench painting workshops, where residents expressed their appreciation for having the SMCAT team on-site. The team not only facilitated the workshops but also shared valuable resources and information on ways to get involved in the broader community. Residents shared that, by the end of the project, they felt less isolated. The joy and love that define Hagerman Corners is now beautifully reflected not only in the final bench created but also in the everyday interactions among residents who participated in the workshops.

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B2B at Milliken Wesleyan Methodist Church

“As a child, I loved that I got to know [diversity]. Here, we are becoming a puzzle, a mosaic, each piece is diverse, each coming from different places. It’s a matter of taking the time to put it together, so much can happen if we are willing to come together and fit into our spot.”

- Milliken Wesleyan Methodist Church Resident

The B2B project at the Milliken Wesleyan Methodist Church is a vibrant testament to the community’s rich cultural mosaic. The Community Consultations facilitated a conversation about residents’ identities and the community identity: about their shared values of compassion, unity, and connection, and how these values transcend culture. As the project carries out, residents continue to foster a deeper connection and sense of belonging through investing joint efforts in this community project.