A donation from the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change has extended a temporary lifeline to House of Hope, keeping the highly supportive housing open until all 45 residents can relocate to appropriate spaces. On Thursday, Mayor Josh Morgan joined with representatives of London Community Foundation (LCF) and London Cares at city hall to share details of the donation that prevents the residents from being returned to the streets. “Nobody will lose their housing while we continue to work towards the long-term solutions for them,” Morgan confirmed. London Cares will continue operating House of Hope through the end of March 2027 following a donation of up to $1.3 million from the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change, which builds on the City of London’s previous $1.3 million investment. The Health and Homelessness Fund for Change began with the $25-million donation from an anonymous London family, and grew to $37.6 million through a donation-matching campaign. “Knowing that their ongoing funding was off the table, and that a significant portion of the people were being displaced, we saw that as disastrous,” explained Diane Silva, president and CEO of LCF, which administers the Fund for Change. “We face so much stigma, and we face so much negativity most days, to see that people care to make this type of donation is truly heartwarming and humbling,” said Chris Moss, executive director, London Cares. The mayor emphasized the importance of relocating high-needs residents to appropriate highly supportive housing, “There’s time to work effectively with every resident individually. Time to make thoughtful transitions that actually help those residents succeed.” According to London Cares, 30 of the 45 residents have been matched with supportive housing, but are still waiting for a vacancy and intake process. “There are about 15 left that are more complicated,” explained Moss. “I’m having conversations with partners and everyone is trying so hard to make that work.” In 2023, House of Hope opened to support individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, significant health and mental health challenges, high emergency system use, and profound vulnerability. It provides housing and 24-hour wraparound supports for people experiencing chronic homelessness with complex needs. Silva suggests its impact was recognized by the private donation, “You saw significant reductions in ER visits, police interactions, people that had been chronically unhoused for ten plus years were showing signs of stability now living under their care.” In May, London Cares announced that House of Hope would close at the end of November because Ministry of Health funding ($1.37 million) had expired. Morgan says his goal is to continue growing the amount of supportive housing that has stable operating funds from the provincial government, “There’s been four different funding partners over the course of this, and House of Hope was always cobbling together funds. Permanent, stable Ministry of Health funding dollars, is the ultimate goal that the city has.” The mayor added that more supportive housing spaces are expected to finish construction in November, creating more capacity within the system. Moss expressed her gratitude to all those who worked on the partnership, “This buys us time to get people the right space and not have to put people on the street. that that just makes all of us feel better.”
