……of health and homelessness in London. Together. For good.
IT WILL TAKE ALL OF US
London is facing one of the most dire crises in our community’s history.
Too many Londoners are suffering and dying on our streets because of the impacts associated with homelessness. But we can change that with a movement to save lives and strengthen the community we call home.
That’s what the Health & Homeless Movement for Change is all about – all of us, working together, to end this crisis.
The Movement is supported by a transformative $25 million donation from a generous anonymous donor family – The Health & Homelessness Fund for Change - which is administered by
London Community Foundation and will support the implementation of Health & Homelessness System Response.
There has never been a more important time to give or get involved.
A Whole Of Community Response Needs Whole Of Community Support
A Moment We Must Meet Together
This is a crisis many decades in the making. So what makes this moment different? In addition to the transformative Fund opportunity, a collective of community experts across sectors have designed a system response to this crisis that is a first of its kind in London, and unique in Ontario. And implementation of that system – created collaboratively by
more than 200 individuals representing nearly 70 local organizations in community health and social services, institutional healthcare, education, emergency services, business and economic development, land and housing development and multiple levels of government – is now underway.
Working Together
Government relations and advocacy for system funding is underway with multiple levels of government, and London City Council has pledged $2.8 million for initial implementation needs.
$5 Million Matching Fund
When you give now, every one of your dollars becomes two via an additional $5 million matching fund powered by the generous anonymous donor family that is making this movement possible.
“This isn’t a challenge – this is a calling,” said Mayor Josh Morgan, “It speaks to who we are as human beings, and what we hope to become as a community. Londoners all across our city are ready to meet the moment!”
System Change Cannot Happen Without You
The system has two key foundations: Hubs and Housing.
Hubs will support individuals to move safely inside, become stabilized, access wrap-around supports, be connected to the right housing and receive support to stay housed, with the goal of creating 100 high-support housing units by the end of 2023 and 600 over 3 years.
About The System Response
It was designed in an unprecedented collaborative process that included more than 200 individuals across 70 local organizations representing community health and social services, institutional healthcare, education and academia, emergency services, business and economic development, land and housing development and multiple levels of government.
They have agreed to break down silos and work together in a new way. Their vision is a fully-integrated system that supports the most marginalized unhoused Londoners.
The First Step: Hubs
The first step in that journey is Hubs which will support individuals to move safely inside, become stabilized, access wrap-around supports, be connected to the right housing and receive support to stay housed.
Dispersed Locations
Located across the community rather than concentrated in one specific area, each Hub will provide a set of comprehensive core services in purpose-built spaces to improve service effectiveness, efficiency and outcomes, ultimately moving more people from London’s streets into homes.
Every interaction in a Hub is an active and intentional effort to enable an individual’s next steps toward supportive housing.
Key Facts About Hubs
- Hubs are not for everyone experiencing homelessness; they are designed to support the approximately 600 individuals experiencing completely unsheltered homelessness, often referred to as “high acuity” populations, who have the most complex needs, and proportionately, have high levels of interactions with police, emergency services and the healthcare system.
- Priority populations for the first three to five Hubs are: couples and families, Indigenous individuals, medically complex individuals, women and female-identifying individuals, youth (16-25).
- Hubs will provide a range of supports in one central location, including 24/7 transitional housing, basic needs (water, food, clothing, washrooms, showers and laundry) and access to healthcare, treatment services, justice system services, income supports and housing supports, among other vital services.
- There will be one phone number that anyone can call, from loved ones and caregivers to business owners, to refer individuals experiencing homelessness to these supports.
- Hubs will not duplicate services already available, rather they will allow agencies to provide existing services to this population in new, more efficient and effective ways.
About The Fund
The Health & Homelessness Fund for Change is administered by London Community Foundation, powered by the generosity of London’s business and community leaders and enabled by a transformative gift by a London family who wishes to remain anonymous but whom has pledged $25 million to seed the fund, with an additional $5 million in matching dollars to encourage others to join this legacy fight.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Heath + Homelessness Movement for Change is committed to working towards reconciliation and to supporting the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is in this spirit that we acknowledge that the community we call London and Middlesex County is situated on the traditional Indigenous territory of the Anishinaabe, Attawandaron, Haudenosaunee and the Lenape peoples. For countless centuries Indigenous peoples have been stewards of these lands, sharing the natural resources and only harvesting what was needed for their sustenance.
We are grateful for this land, though we must recognize that it was stolen from the Indigenous peoples who originally lived on it. We also recognize the historical and ongoing injustice often faced by Indigenous peoples and communities, both within London and across Canada. This process of recognition and action is constant and with that, we are committed to the ongoing crucial steps of consideration, education, re-education, and work that are required to reconcile and create a more equitable and just community.
Join The Movement
Doing nothing is not an option.
It’s time to show up in a new way on this issue, together, and change the story of health and homelessness in our community, forever. With an transformative gift, a monumental shift, and a made-in-London solution – there has never been a more important time to get involved.
Say you’re in and be the first to know about Fund and system updates.
If you have questions about the Movement for Change, email
info@movementforchange.ca
BE A PART OF THIS MOMENT IN LONDON’S HISTORY
Your donation will go directly to building this transformative solution to change the lives of hundreds of marginalized Londoners, and address the impacts of this crisis that are felt by so many – from the agencies who have been in this fight for decades to the businesses and organizations that drive our local economy.
Plus, you’ll send a message directly to other levels of government that London leaders are stepping up and it’s time for them to join us in the most important fight we’ve ever faced.
Changing the story of health and homelessness in our community will take all of us.
Learn more by contacting the Fund for Change Team at
info@fundforchange.ca.
To discuss a gift to the fund, please contact Diane Silva at
dsilva@lcf.on.ca.
Learn more about the
Health & Homelessness Whole of Community Response.
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