Important Updates
BRIEFING NOTE
To: Mayor and Members of London City Council, Civic Administration, Community Partners and the Public
From: Ark Aid Street Mission Inc.
Date: July 29, 2026
Subject: Sustaining Essential Outreach and Drop-In Services for London’s Most Vulnerable Residents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The expiry of the City of London’s bridge funding for Ark Aid Street Mission and 519Pursuit places essential outreach, drop-in and basic-needs services at risk, despite continued growth in homelessness and the delayed release of renewed federal funding.
The City’s investment, amplified by generous donor contributions to both organizations, has sustained critical supports that provide safety, connection and pathways to housing for London’s most vulnerable residents.
Without stable core funding, the consistency and presence of these services are once again in jeopardy. Ark Aid Street Mission calls upon all orders of government, community partners, donors, businesses and residents to work together to protect this vital community infrastructure.
Together, we must advocate for sustainable funding, invest generously and ensure that no one in London is left without support while they journey toward a place to call home.
THANK YOU
Ark Aid Street Mission Inc. extends its sincere appreciation to the Mayor, Members of Council and City Administration for providing bridge funding from April through July 2026.
This timely investment allowed Ark Aid Street Mission and 519Pursuit to continue delivering essential outreach, drop-in and basic-needs services while awaiting the release of renewed federal funding through the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative (UHEI).
Importantly, the City’s investment did more than sustain existing services. Both organizations matched this funding through donor support, community fundraising and charitable contributions, significantly expanding the reach and impact of these services for people experiencing homelessness. This partnership between municipal investment and community generosity demonstrates what is possible when governments and local organizations work together toward a shared goal.
THE CHALLENGE
Although renewed UHEI funding was announced earlier this year, municipalities have not yet received access to those funds. As the City’s bridge funding comes to an end, both Ark Aid Street Mission and 519Pursuit once again face uncertainty regarding the resources needed to maintain a consistent frontline presence.
Without stable core funding, the continuity, reliability and expanded reach of these services are once again at risk, despite the ongoing and growing need within our community.
WHY THESE SERVICES MATTER
Outreach and drop-in services provide much more than food or emergency supplies. They offer trusted relationships, safe indoor spaces, crisis intervention, system navigation, connections to healthcare and housing, and compassionate support for people experiencing some of the most difficult circumstances of their lives.
These services often represent the first step toward stability and ultimately a pathway home.
A COMMUNITY UNDER PRESSURE
London continues to experience significant pressures related to housing affordability and homelessness. Over recent years, homelessness has increased by approximately 40%, while many frontline organizations have simultaneously experienced reductions or the expiry of temporary funding from senior levels of government.
Despite important investments in shelters, supportive housing and specialized programs, London still lacks a universally accessible 24-hour, seven-day-a-week walk-in location where anyone experiencing homelessness can receive immediate basic needs, crisis support and coordinated system navigation. Emergency shelters remain under significant pressure, and reduced outreach capacity can result in fewer people being engaged and counted, not fewer people experiencing homelessness. Many Londoners continue to live unsheltered or in hidden homelessness across our city.
Until sufficient affordable housing, supportive housing and healthcare resources are available, outreach, drop-in and basic-needs services remain essential components of London’s homelessness response.
OUR COMMITMENT
Ark Aid Street Mission and 519Pursuit remain steadfast in our commitment to serving our community.
Together, we will continue working alongside donors, volunteers, faith communities, businesses, foundations, the City of London and other partners to provide compassionate care and practical support to those who need it most.
However, charitable generosity cannot replace stable public investment in essential community infrastructure. Donations strengthen services, but they cannot sustainably replace the core funding required to maintain experienced staff, consistent programming and reliable access for those who depend on these services every day.
CALL TO ACTION
We invite every Londoner to help ensure that no one in our community is left without care, dignity or hope.
Contact your Member of Federal Parliament and encourage the federal government to immediately release renewed UHEI funding and commit to stable, multi-year investments in homelessness services.
Contact your Member of Provincial Parliament and encourage the provincial government to support and match the federal funding and commit to municipal, multi-year investments in homelessness services.
Support the organizations doing this work. Whether you choose to donate to Ark Aid Street Mission, 519Pursuit, CMHA Thames Valley, My Sister’s Place, The Coffee House, LondonCares or another trusted organization, your generosity helps strengthen the network of care supporting our community’s most vulnerable residents.
Volunteer your time and talents. Community organizations rely on dedicated volunteers whose compassion and commitment make these services possible.
Ask municipal election candidates how they will respond to London’s homelessness crisis.
How will they strengthen funding for outreach and basic-needs services? How will they advocate for provincial and federal investment? How will they expand affordable and supportive housing while ensuring people receive compassionate care today?
CONCLUSION
Ark Aid Street Mission is deeply grateful for the City of London’s leadership in providing bridge funding during a period of federal uncertainty.
That investment, combined with generous community support, allowed both Ark Aid Street
Mission and 519Pursuit to extend their reach and continue serving Londoners experiencing homelessness with consistency, compassion and dignity.
As this funding concludes, we respectfully ask all orders of government to work together to ensure these essential services remain sustainable. We also encourage every Londoner to become part of the solution through advocacy, generosity, volunteering and civic engagement.
This is not a choice between housing and basic needs. We must continue building homes while ensuring that people survive long enough, and remain connected enough, to reach them. A compassionate city does both.
Your advocacy worked!
After weeks of letters, public calls to action, and sector-wide pressure, the federal government announced $125 million in renewed UHEI funding for homelessness services across Canada. And this week, Mayor Josh Morgan wrote to community partners to confirm that the insights you shared helped bring this issue directly to Prime Minister Carney.
We’ve shared our letter of advocacy to government alongside the Mayor’s letter — because transparency matters, and because you deserve to see the impact of your voice.
The fight isn’t over. We are still calling on Ontario to match this investment — and on the City to bridge the funding gap now, while new agreements are put in place.
But today, we pause to say: this happened because of you. Thank you. 💛
Following up on our announcement last week, we are now facing a stark and immediate reality.
Effective April 1, we will lose our core municipal funding from the City of London.
This is not a minor budget adjustment—this is the removal of over $1 million that has, until now, helped sustain the most basic and essential human services we provide: encampment meals for the hungry, showers for those without shelter, clean clothing, safe washroom access, frontline assessments, critical referrals, and compassionate system navigation for people with nowhere else to turn.
Let’s be clear about what this means:
• Fewer meals served to people already on the brink of starvation
• Fewer safe spaces for individuals trying to preserve dignity in impossible circumstances
• Longer wait times, reduced access, and, inevitably, more people falling through the cracks of an already strained system
The consequences are real, tangible, and deeply human.
Without this funding, we are entering a period of profound uncertainty. For the foreseeable future, our ability to operate will depend entirely on donated dollars…and on the generosity, empathy, and action of people like you.
This is a pivotal moment that our community will feel, because even when funding disappears, the need does not. Hunger, poverty, and crisis are still firmly in front of us.
Once again, we are asking you to help. From giving financially, sharing this message, or volunteering your time, every action matters.
We appreciate you so much. 💛
This past winter has been one of the hardest on record. Night after night of below-freezing temperatures brought challenges that many in our community should never have to face.
And yet, because of YOU, we made it through together.
As we slowly welcome the first signs of spring, we want to take a moment to recognize the incredible impact of our donors, volunteers, partners, and staff. From April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026, your support has helped us achieve:
- 309,630 meals served
- 36,140 safe nights of rest provided
- 1,081 unique individuals served**
- 117 people successfully housed
- 445,210 total service interactions
These numbers meant so much more—they meant warmth on the coldest nights, meals when someone didn’t know where the next one would come from, a clear path toward stable housing, and moments of dignity and care when they were needed most.
We are, and always will be, deeply grateful.
But as one season ends, another challenge begins.
Starting April 1, our core funding from the City of London for daytime services at 696 Dundas St will be withdrawn. This represents approximately one-third of our operational funding, or over $1 million annually. This means essential services like meals, showers, clothing, washroom access, assessments, referrals, and system navigation will now rely entirely on donor support.
This change will result in the least amount of services our community has received in the past five years…and we are not alone. While the Ark is deeply impacted, many organizations across our city are also facing similar losses.
As a result, we are facing difficult but necessary service reductions over the coming weeks, which will be announced as they arise.
Effective today (March 24), we are closing 20 emergency cold weather response beds at Bishop-Cronyn Church.
Since opening on January 15, these beds have provided nearly 1,100 safe nights of rest, offering refuge from the harshest winter conditions. While we are incredibly proud of what this space has made possible, the reality is that freezing nights are not over, and fewer indoor options will now be available for those who need them most.
We cannot stress this enough: these services can literally mean the difference between life and death for many.
We need your help.
Whether you choose to donate, volunteer, speak with your city councillor, or simply share this message, you are making a real and immediate change in people’s lives.
Thank you for being part of a community that refuses to look away. 💛