Nearly $7M in federal money for homeless food, shelter programs about to end in London

Funding for two federal programs that support a handful of basic services for London's unhoused population — including food programs and shelter spaces — won't be continued past the end of March.

The federal programs provided $6.8 million of funding over the past two years, which flowed to a handful of agencies providing basic needs for people who sleep outside.

The programs affected include food delivery to encampments by outreach workers, additional emergency shelter spaces and daytime drop-in spaces.

The funding, which was always intended to be time-limited, will run out at the end of March, according to a staff report coming to council's Community and Protective Services Committee meeting on Monday.

The services affected include:

• A meal program that delivered daily 160 meals, bottled water and provided portable washrooms for people living outside.

• A total of 18 women's-only emergency shelter beds at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope.

• Four hours of daytime drop-in services provided seven days a week by Ark Aid Street Mission.

• A handful of different outreach services provided by London Cares, 519 Pursuit and Atlohsa Family Healing Services.

Need keeps growing

The report outlining the funding changes says the federal money is going away at a time when London's services are increasingly unable to meet a growing need.

"The pressures have outpaced the capacity of the existing emergency shelter system," the report reads.

London Cares executive director Chris Moss said the funding reduction will mean they'll have to wind down one of five outreach teams, which venture out into encampments to deliver food and provide other services.

It will also mean the reduction of daytime drop-in spaces at a shelter London Cares operates.

"There's always a need," said Moss. "We're always way beyond capacity as is and losing that money makes a big difference. Even though the economy is getting worse, even though we're doubling the number of people that we're serving, there's no new money coming. So that's creating a huge problem as well."

The report said the loss of some of meal programs provided by the agencies will leave people unable to access food on weekends and other times.

The report says other shelter spaces that rely on other funding sources will continue, such as some spaces at The Commons and the Cronyn Warner shelter on William Street.

London's homeless population has grown by 19 per cent since 2022, which is below the province-wide average of 25 per cent, according to a report released last fall.

In 2022, 1,844 people interacted with London's homeless response system. Since then, that number has grown to surpass 2,200.

City councillors will discuss the report at Monday's meeting of the Community and Protective Services Committee.