More people expected to be sleeping rough in London, Ont., as winter homelessness programs end

The funding supporting a number of winter programs for people experiencing homelessness in London, Ont., comes to an end on Thursday. It means more people will be living rough on the streets, according to a local homeless advocate. 

"We don't have enough beds to accommodate everyone who needs them without those extra services," said Chuck Lazenby, the executive director of the Unity Project. "So, there is certainly no doubt about that, that that is going to be the situation that we're faced with.

"The end of those programs, we're certainly going to feel a significant gap in our services, and I think that we're also going to have increased pressure on the services that will continue to exist."

Provincial Social Services Relief Funding (SSRF) and Federal Reaching Home COVID response funding, which ends Mar. 31, has funded a number of initiatives, including motel room stays, winter shelter sites at Fanshawe Golf Course run by London Cares and at Westminster Ponds run by Atlohsa Family Healing Services, and emergency crash beds.

"I do think it's really important to understand that we are already feeling quite burdened, and already feeling the pressure of our situation in our community prior to this funding ending," said Lazenby. "And so it's very concerning moving forward what we'll be faced with, I think, as a community and as services that are still providing this."

According to the city, the relief programs were intended to eventually wind down. 

"The SSRF funding was not meant to solve homelessness," said Kevin Dickins, the deputy city manager in charge of social and health development, at a committee meeting in early March. "It was not an investment to eliminate and resolve the issues that communities face. It was a much-needed 'lifeboat' to help the service system pivot and be able to operate in a COVID reality."

In the most recent report on the city's COVID-19 response, staff say winding down the programs aligns with the ramp up of existing programs as health restrictions are lifted.

The support from the other levels of government also made it possible for an overnight drop-in run by Ark Aid Street Mission that has been able to accommodate up to 50 people every night at First St. Andrew's Church through the winter.

Willis Chippwa, who is also referred to as "Skater Boy," said that he uses the crash beds at the church almost every night.

"We don't know where we're going, what we're doing, and people gotta stick together," he said. 

"It's a good place to hang, meet a lot of good people and have a nice coffee time."

He said that his plan is to likely couch surf in lieu of the overnight program. 

"I was working before, but I lost my apartment, so I've been homeless for five years, so it's just been one struggle after another," he said. "But I'm managing it."