Social Planning & Community Development
Community Development Council Durham (CDCD) is Durham Region’s local Social Planning Council, and is a member of the Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO). CDCD’s Community Development department adheres to the SPNO’s operating principles.
Understand → Connect → Act
CDCD brings research, community knowledge, organizations and people together to better understand local conditions, strengthen community connections and support collaborative responses to social issues across Durham Region.
Use community-based research and evidence to understand local conditions, needs and emerging issues.
Bring people, organizations and community networks together around shared issues and opportunities.
Use research, relationships and collective knowledge to support meaningful community action.
Our Approach: Iterative & Open
At CDCD, we execute Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO) principles by committing to a process that focuses on community and truth, which we call Iterative & Open.
Community Throughout the Process
We engage local partners and community members throughout the various stages of our research and community development work. We commit to continually reviewing and assessing our work and making adjustments that ensure community data is consistently reliable and valid.
Following Discovery and Truth
While reviewing our work, we follow the path of truth based on what is discovered. While adhering to timelines and expectations that are core to our work, CDCD remains committed to the process of discovery and truth.
Understand: Research & Evidence
Community-Based Research at the Core of Social Planning
At the core of Social Planning is community-based research. CDCD’s research highlighting inequities in our communities is a priority for social planning. This helps build understanding of the conditions, needs and issues affecting people, organizations and communities across Durham Region.
Explore research and reports on homelessness, housing, the living wage, Durham’s non-profit sector and other areas that affect community wellbeing.
SPNO Operating Principles
As Durham Region’s local Social Planning Council and a member of the Social Planning Network of Ontario (SPNO), CDCD’s Community Development department adheres to the following operating principles.
Social planning organizations are membership-based and are governed by boards which are elected annually by their community members.
Social planning organizations link independent research and community experience to the development of action proposals and solutions to identified problems.
Social planning organizations promote the active participation of community members in planning and decision-making processes.
In promoting citizen participation, social planning organizations actively seek to include all community members with an interest in the issue at hand regardless of gender, racial and/or cultural origin, religion, age or other self-defining forms of identification.
In promoting inclusive citizen participation, social planning organizations strive to build the capacity of community leadership to participate more effectively in democratic processes and to take greater control over decision-making which affect the quality of community life.
Given the interdependence of the social, economic, political, cultural, and technological dynamics of modern life, social planning organizations recognize the need for comprehensive and interdisciplinary approaches to planning, policy analysis and problem-solving in our society.
Connect: Community Initiatives
CDCD incubates and supports a number of community networks and initiatives across Durham Region as part of its human rights, equity and community development work.
These initiatives bring organizations, residents and community partners together to share knowledge, strengthen relationships and respond collaboratively to community needs.
Immigrant Seniors Action Council (ISAC)
A community-led group supporting immigrant seniors aged 55+, with a particular focus on newcomers to Canada. ISAC grew from CDCD’s Seniors for Seniors by Seniors (S3) Project.
Explore Immigrant Seniors Action CouncilGrassroots Organizations Incubation, Mentorship & Trusteeship Program
Customized capacity-building support for grassroots organizations, including administrative support, project planning and implementation, grant applications, financial management and trusteeship.
Learn About the ProgramDurham Non-Profit Network
A Durham Region network supported by CDCD as part of its work to strengthen connection and collaboration within the local non-profit sector.
Explore Durham Non-Profit NetworkNorth Durham Social Development Council
A community initiative supported by CDCD as part of its social development and collaborative community-building work in North Durham.
Explore North Durham Social Development CouncilDurham Living Wage
An initiative connecting research and community engagement around living-wage issues in Durham Region.
Learn MoreHope in Our Community
A community initiative connected to CDCD’s work and research addressing homelessness in Durham Region.
Learn MoreGrassroots Organizations Incubation, Mentorship & Trusteeship Program
CDCD’s Incubation, Mentorship and Trusteeship Program is designed to provide grassroots organizations with the support they need to grow and thrive. Customized support based on the needs of the mentee organization is provided through the collective expertise of CDCD’s team of professionals and can include, but is not limited to, administrative support, project planning and implementation, grant applications and financial management.
The program is aimed at providing support and helping grassroots organizations establish systems that strengthen autonomy, contribute to community building, and enhance well-being and quality of life.
CDCD also supports project deliverables through trusteeship of funds for grants received by grassroots organizations that do not have the required infrastructure to receive and manage the funds.
Organizations Currently in the Program
- A.F.I.Y.U. Enterprise
- Afiwi Groove School
- Black Jewel
- Diverse Minds Collective
- Inspire & Empower Canada Network
- Interpreters and Translators Platform Co-op Inc.
- The GAP Committee
Past Projects & Initiatives
CDCD has led and taken part in community initiatives across Durham Region since 1970.
- Federal Election 2025 — Shared voter information and non-partisan educational resources.
- Provincial Elections 2025 — Voter engagement educational resources.
- Point-in-Time Count — A snapshot of homelessness in Durham Region; the 2021 report is published.
- Elections 2022 — Vote pop-ups at Welcome Centres and voting presentations to newcomers.
- HIFIS Annual Report 2020 — A snapshot of homelessness and housing instability clients served.
- Elections 2015 — Candidate questionnaires on federal election topics.
- Rural Durham Needs Assessment — A social profile using statistical data and GIS technology.
- Ajax Pride House — A temporary safe space during the Pan Am Games.
- Discover Your Durham Newcomer Bus Tour — Community orientation celebrating Canada 150.
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Services — A gap analysis report on LGBTQ services.
- Poverty in Durham — Qualitative research on lived poverty experiences, from 2009.
- Diverse Voices — Community research on immigration perceptions and experiences.
- Immigrant Services — Analysis of integrated settlement service delivery.
- South Asian Needs Assessment Survey — A community needs assessment.