A London shelter now has the runway, potentially, to turn its wintertime beds into a year-round space for the homeless, though city politicians are queasy about the $4-million-plus annual cost.
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City politicians have voted 10-2 to give Ark Aid Street Mission $1.8 million, pulled from reserves, to continue providing 24-hour assessment at its Dundas Street location, 40 drop-in spaces, 30 temporary overnight spaces, transitional beds at 432 William St ., and 60 beds for those in need through the rest of the year.
Beyond that, city staff presented a contract with a proposal for the 2025 budget to have Ark Aid operate the spaces through the end of March 2027 at a cost of $4.3 million a year. Politicians voted in support of an add-on to lobby Queen’s Park and Ottawa to fund it.
Councilors Susan Stevenson and Steve Lehman voted in opposition during the debate last Thursday, while Skylar Franke, Elizabeth Peloza, and Steven Hillier were absent. All others voted in support of the $1.8-million fund.
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Many of the beds were part of the city’s winter response to homelessness. But the agency says stable, year-round funding could help minimize the costs of setting up and tearing down, and eliminate the need for extra effort to provide shelter during winters.
“I think most people on council appreciate that if Ark Aid was not there, the situation in the street would be much worse,” said Coun. Sam Trosov. “People have to give Ark Aid a lot of credit. . . . It’s a bad situation, but they’re improving it quite a bit.”
Sarah Campbell, Ark Aid’s executive director, encouraged council to think about its impact, saying the proposal would expand the city’s shelter capacity. As of last year, London had 306 shelter beds.
“This addition is a representation of almost 25 per cent more indoor remaining space. . . against a backdrop of an increase of 10 times the number of people who are experiencing homelessness in our community,” she said.
Campbell did not respond to an interview request from The London Free Press before deadline.
Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said he is impressed by the agency’s work and their effort to put forward a long-term plan. But he cast doubt on the city being able to fund Ark Aid year-round for two years, arguing the province or federal government should step up instead.
“I don’t know how I can support $4.3 million a year moving ahead when it comes to budget time,” he said. “We need to look at ways to see if there’s provincial or federal funding that helps reduce that. If the municipality has to put in some of its own money, I’m absolutely open to that discussion, but not the whole.”
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Londoners were hit with an 8.7 per cent tax hike in 2024. As of May, the tax hikes for the remaining years of the four-year budget approved this winter by city council are set at:
- 2025: 8.7 per cent
- 2026: 5.7 per cent
- 2027: 6.7 per cent
Lewis says the city likely will plead its case with the provincial government at next month’s Association of Ontario Municipalities conference. Mission Services and the Salvation Army, two of the city’s major shelters, receive provincial and federal funding to operate, he says.
The business case for future Ark Aid funding will come to politicians in the fall when Mayor Josh Morgan presents his annual budget update.
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