Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in London (Official)

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Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in London (Official)

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Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness provides housing-outcome focused emergency shelter, supportive housing and in-home housing stability support programming for individuals of all genders age 18+ who are struggling to escape and avoid homelessness. Intake to our shelter is currently centralized through the City of London's Housing Prevention Team at 519-661-4663. Unity Project is a registered charity governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and a team of over 30 staff members. Housing First principles are actioned by promoting self-determination and choice, applying a harm reduction and trauma-informed approach, employing Motivational Interviewing and assertive engagement practices, providing individualized and strengths-based support, emphasizing housing as a basic human right, and focusing on moving individuals from shelter to permanent housing with wraparound supports as quickly as possible. Staff use the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System to support a collaborative and shared case management approach.

10/13/2026

We have so much to be thankful for.

You have supported us for 25 years: donating, sharing in our work, showing up, advocating for us, attending our events, and bringing new people into our community of supporters. ❤️

And you definitely showed up for our 25th Anniversary in a huge way!

Together we raised $31, 621, blowing past our $25,000 goal!

We’re incredibly grateful for every gift, and every other act of support that can help us bring more people get from our doorstep to their own.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Unity Project. ❤️

10/12/2026

https://unityproject.ca/up-turns-25/

With just 25 hours remaining, our UP Turns 25 campaign is coming down to the wire, and to everyone who has already donated, shared the campaign or cheered us on: thank you! You have given us a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

And now, there is one more reason to help us bring the campaign home.

Unity Project Board of Directors, past and present, have pooled their resources to create a matching challenge to help take us across the finish line. For these final 25 hours, every new gift will go twice as far.

Every donation brings us closer to our goal and carries forward the activist spirit of our Founding Members on August 12, 2001. Behind each gift is a powerful statement: we should do better, we can do better, and we will do better to help end experiences of homelessness in London.

10/09/2026

“Love in the time of COVID” was one of the headlines in our newsletter during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those words still resonate.

The pandemic taught us a lot. It exposed deep gaps in our systems, with the greatest impacts often felt by people already facing marginalization and vulnerability. But it also brought people and organizations together in new ways.

Our frontline had to get creative. We rethought policies and spaces, found new ways to fill service gaps, and saw firsthand how much care and compassion matter in the way we support people.

A global crisis reminded us that change is possible. When we work together, we can find better ways to do things. Twenty-five years of Unity Project have taught us that, too.

(Photos: Becca and her Andy Warhol-esque selfies, circa late 2020)

10/08/2026

It starts with a cup of coffee. The work we do often begins with little gestures, often immediate practical support. These opportunities can help build trust, strengthen connections and begin working together toward housing stability. For some people, that connection may be brief. For others, it becomes a longer duration of intensive, relationship-based support.

No matter the case, the goal is always to help people from our doorstep to their own. 4 days left in our anniversary campaign!

https://unityproject.ca/up-turns-25/

10/07/2026

From the vault. Some more history...

Did you know our flagship fundraiser, UPwithART, has a history that goes all the way back to 2005?

It represents years of rich history, mixing art and social justice like paint on a palette. It was the natural outcome of Unity Project’s embrace of arts and culture and our experience of residents arriving at our door with almost nothing but art supplies tucked under their arms. After returning in 2011, UPwithART became the annual event we know and love today.

The first UPwithART events were mounted in 2005 and again in 2007 as a grassroots gala to showcase the many artists among Unity Project residents, staff, volunteers and founding members. It was organized by UP frontline staff Rachel Ayres, Matti Paquiz and the late Linda Moore, and has remained a crowd favourite. First hosted by Tamara Moro at the Guildhouse Gallery 2005 and by Wendy Saby at the Self-Employment Centre in 2007. Since 2011, it re-emerged as an annual event.

There are 5 more days to go in our UP Turns 25 campaign! Donate here: https://unityproject.ca/up-turns-25/

10/06/2026

Housing First starts with a simple idea: people need a home before they can begin to rebuild other parts of their lives.

Instead of asking someone to fix every challenge they may be facing before they can access housing, Housing First helps people move into permanent housing as quickly as possible. From there, they can choose the supports that make sense for them, whether that means help with health, mental health, substance use, finances, relationships or other challenges.

It is an approach built around choice, dignity, and the belief that people should have a say in what happens next. It also recognizes that people do not have to be “ready” or have everything figured out before they deserve a safe and stable place to call home.

We’re proud to have helped bring this approach to London. In 2017, we created a Housing First Toolkit, and in 2018, we fully transitioned to a housing-focused emergency shelter model.

That approach continues to shape how we work today: helping people move toward housing and stability, while meeting them where they are along the way.

10/05/2026

From the vault... home has certainly looked different over the years.

From Tent City at Campbell Memorial Park in 2001, to a temporary stay at the Salvation Army Warehouse at Horton and Richmond, to a farmhouse on Fanshawe Park Road in 2002, and finally, in 2003, to our current home at 717 Dundas St.

It’s been quite a ride. But through every move, our incredible community of supporters have stood by us, opening doors, rolling up sleeves, raising funds, sharing our story and helping us keep moving forward.

This journey has reminded us that Unity Project’s story has never been just about a building. It’s about the people who keep the lights on. 25 years later, we reflect in gratitude. This is the final week of our campaign; please give if able: https://unityproject.ca/up-turns-25/

10/01/2026

Tom and Joanne Cowan $5K officially unlocked! ✅🔑

We have seen so much support from every corner of the community so far. Let’s sprint past our $25,000 goal! We’d appreciate donations, likes, shares, anything to spread the word. Thank you so much!

www.unityproject.ca/up-turns-25

09/30/2026

Today is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, honouring the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Widespread public commemoration and acknowledgement of the tragic and painful history, continued impact, and intergenerational trauma of Canada's residential school legacy is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

Unity Project observes this day by encouraging our staff to engage with this day - to learn, reflect, and participate in a meaningful way.

Listen to indigenous voices. Engage with indigenous art. Learn the traditional names and places where you live, learn and work, and of the treaties that govern and inform our history on these lands. Here are some resources and events in the community.

- Lunch & Learn Webinars: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/lunch-and-learns/

- Reading & Information: https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/

- Wampum Learning Lodge: Sunrise Ceramony & Sacred Fire, Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 6:30 AM – 2:00 PM (Ceremony at 6:45 AM)

- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Concert: Rebecca Hass: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, from 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM, von Kuster Hall, Music Building, Western University, 1151 Richmond Drive

- Anishinaabe Water Walk:10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Patio behind Western Interdisciplinary Research Building, Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/water-walk-tickets-1997049679350?aff=oddtdtcreator

- Reading & Education: https://atlohsa.com/pages/education-home

- Book: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph

- Homeless Hub report: https://homelesshub.ca/resource/storying-truth-and-journeying-towards-reconciliation/

09/28/2026

We’re only $500 away from unlocking Tom and Joanne Cowan’s $5,000 matching anniversary gift!

That means we’re SO close to reaching our next $5K milestone in our 25th anniversary campaign. Stella’s jumping with excitement, and says: LET’S GET THAT KEY: www.unityproject.ca/up-turns-25/

Every dollar supports a coordinated, housing-focused response, through immediate needs and emergency shelter to transitional housing and ongoing in-home housing stability supports, helping people and pets alike get one step closer to getting the keys to a home of their own.

In Stella’s case, treats may also be involved.

Address

717 Dundas Street
London, ON
N5W2Z5

Telephone

+15194338700

Website

http://www.unityproject.ca/

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