Guelph’s Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment, or HART Hub, has been approved by the province, and will focus on helping adults and youth aged 16 and up with housing, mental health and addictions.
It will be located at the Guelph Community Health Centre at 176 Wyndham St. N., currently home to Guelph’s consumption and treatment services program.
It’s one of nine sites to be transitioned into a HART Hub after the province passed an act prohibiting the operation of consumption and treatment services located within 200 metres of schools and licensed child-care centres.
"Today’s approval of the recovery focused HART Hub model for Guelph is exciting news for our community,” said Mayor Cam Guthrie in a press release.
“It’s exciting due to the supports that can now set individuals on a positive trajectory of lifelong success free from the addictions that are currently harming them, and in most cases impacting their family and friends as well,” he said.
Each of the nine HART hubs across the province “will reflect regional priorities and include a range of services to meet the needs of the communities it serves,” said Hannah Jenson in an email, director of communications for the deputy premier and minister of health.
In Guelph and Wellington County, that means a focus on serving adults and youth aged 16 and up with multiple health conditions, including “moderate to serve mental health and/or addictions challenges and experiencing homelessness,” as well as being at-risk of homelessness or requiring services like supportive housing.
The HART Hub will include an Intensive Housing and Treatment Team and Integrated Crisis Centre, with a 24/7 integrated crisis service, crisis stabilization beds and medically supported withdrawal management beds.
Existing specialized mental health, addictions, and housing services will also be co-located or integrated with the HART Hub, including but not limited to the Integrated Mobile Police and Crisis Team, Hive Heath Services, Rapid Access Addiction Medicine and housing support workers from the county.
Access to the hub for Indigenous community members will be supported through Indigenous Support Coordinators and Indigenous Housing First Workers co-located at 176 Wyndham St.
The other sites are located in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener and Thunder Bay, and are part of the province’s $378 million investment to support the creation of 19 new HART Hubs across Ontario.
The sites will be fully transitioned by March 31 of this year, and will be eligible to receive up to four times more funding from the province than they received prior.
There will also be one time funding for start up costs.
Applications for the remaining hubs will be announced in the coming weeks, with the province hoping all will be operational by April 1.
