A shortfall of $140,000 at the Essex County Homelessness Hub means the organization will have to cut back services.
Family Services Windsor-Essex, which operates the hub, has received some of its funding from the federal government through the Reaching Home program, but was informed it would get no funding next year.
That's a loss of $70,000 at a time when costs for daytime programming at the ECH2 are going up.
In response, the hub estimates it'll have to cut 60 overnight service days this summer to stay within its budget.
"This time frame is being suggested based on a current reduction in overnight program participants and historically higher need in the winter months," said a report going to the County Council on Wednesday night. "From May 1 to May 29, the average number of participants in the overnight program was five."
Administration also identified a $70,000 shortfall for daytime operations, related to required on-site security services.
Family Services Windsor-Essex has proposed reducing the hours of operation between July 1 and October 31. Those programs will run Monday to Friday, instead of seven days a week.
"It should be noted that there are no other drop-in programs where individuals experiencing homelessness could attend during the proposed closure times of the ECH2 day and overnight program," read the report. "The hours of operation for the ECH2 were strategically designed to align with operating hours at the Leamington Centre of Hope, which operates daily from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the hours the ECH2 does not operate. Reducing service hours at the ECH2 is likely to shift unmet needs to other public or private spaces within our community."
