Madison Community Services

At Madison Community Services we are driven by a mission: to promote the independence, health, recovery, and community integration of persons with mental health and/or addictions challenges through advocacy, education and a broad range of case management, supportive housing, and other specialized services.

Since our humble beginnings with a single house providing on-site high support in 1981, Madison has continued to be a pioneer in providing such services. We were among the first to offer community-based supportive houses, as well as “high support” housing programs, in Toronto and Ontario. We now offer 128 units of supportive housing and serve over 400 clients, most of whom live below the poverty line and have been either homeless or at risk of homelessness. Over the years, Madison has continually sought to provide services that meet the unique and diverse needs of our clients and to support underserved populations with specialized ‘niche’ programs. For example:

• Madison is proud to be one of the few agencies in Toronto to provide mental health case management and a peer support program in Spanish to the large and growing Hispanic population in Toronto. These programs have seen annual growth of over 30%.

• Madison’s RISE Program provides refugees and new immigrants, many of whom have come from war-torn countries, with services to address both their mental health and settlement challenges. While most of have come from Iran and Iraq, with 10,000 refugees from Syria arriving in Toronto, the demand for this program is increasing.

• Since 2012 The Equitable Bank-Madison Client Bursary Fund has provided funding for 77 clients to pursue formal education and professional skills training. Madison is on pace to provide 23 participants with grants, however this represents under half of the total number of applicants.

• Our Social-Recreation Program plays a major role in our clients’ recovery process by helping them to break out of the isolation that mental illness often causes. In recognition of its importance to our clients, we have expanded the program to include monthly movie outings, out-of-town trips, art-based support groups, women’s support group, and lessons in dance, yoga, and jewelry making.

As a community-based agency, Madison needs corporations and individuals from the Toronto community to join with us in supporting the most marginalized and vulnerable citizens of our city.