Ark Aid Street Mission closing beds, slashing hours after $1M homeless funding ends

Ark Aid is winding down year-round emergency services following a $1 million government funding loss. Daryl Newcombe explains.

Ark Aid Street Mission is sounding the alarm a day after a federal homelessness program and city hall’s cold weather response ended.

Executive Director Sarah Campbell says the financial shortfall will exceed $1 million for the frontline agency, forcing several difficult but necessary service cuts for homeless Londoners.

It represents approximately one-third of their operational funding, and means essential services like meals, showers, clothing, washroom access, assessments, referrals, and system navigation will now rely entirely on donor support.

A total of 50 overnight spaces this winter (across three locations) will immediately cease.

The Ark had operated London’s only seven day-a-week open door emergency service outside regular business hours.

Services at 696 Dundas St. will be reduced from between 20 and 24 hours a day — to just four hours.

“We’re currently stepping everything down, starting with the night beds for winter. We will then reduce our daytime hours and by the end of the month, we’ll have just four hours each day,” Campbell explained.

Those remaining hours will be around dinner time.

“We have anywhere between 50 to 70 people through the doors at any one time, and on an average weekend we’re seeing 400 unique individuals come through our space because on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays there are no other open doors,” Campbell added.

Twelve referral organizations had been utilizing The Ark as a drop-off location for homeless individuals, including London police and local hospitals.

Campbell is disappointed that no other government funding was made available before the previous federal program expired March 31.

“If we have zero government dollars, how do we make sure that we show up for the people who need us, when they need us most?” she asked rhetorically.

Among the other services lost or significantly reduced:

• 24/7 assessment and stabilization
• Encampment meal service
• Basic needs access reduced to five days/week
• Diversion and pathway-to-home supports

“These are essential basic needs, but they’re also life saving activities,” Campbell explained. “We don’t allow any drug use on site, but we do have overdoses around our building regularly. In fact, we’ve responded to 29 overdoses just since January, so being present here is critical.”

Ark Aid Street Mission is issuing an urgent plea to donors and all levels of government.

“We would like the funding gap filled by the municipal government because that’s the [level of government] we can go to directly, but it’s not their responsibility alone,” Campbell told CTV News. “It was federal funding that had come to the municipality [that ended], so we’re advocating to all levels of government.”

Campbell worries that fewer services, resources and indoor spaces will lead to more suffering on the streets of London.

“I don’t think there’s a person in London who doesn’t know that this is a catastrophe,” she said.

The beds inside The Ark’s Cronyn Warner Shelter are not affected by the funding shortfall, but its funding is scheduled to expire in one year.