CMHA Thames Valley to open new HART hub location in London with 60 beds in spring

The Ontario government announced Monday that it will open 18 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs across the province, including one in London, by April 1. 

The London hub will be operated by Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley, Ontario's largest branch of the organization. It will have 60 beds at a location that hasn't yet been finalized. 

"All Ontarians, including those struggling with mental health and addiction challenges deserve convenient access to care, to support, to resources and treatment options," Health Minister Sylvia Jones said at an announcement at CMHA's office in London. 

The 18 hubs are an addition to the nine existing locations, which were former supervised consumption sites that transitioned into hubs after they were closed due to their proximity to schools and daycare centres. The total 27 hubs will be funded through a $529 million investment. 

CMHA Thames Valley submitted its proposal to open a HART hub in September, one month after the province announced the move to close supervised consumption sites and needle exchanges within 200 metres of schools and childcare centres.

HART hubs resemble existing hub models, including two in London, and will connect people with complex mental health and addictions needs to comprehensive treatment and preventative services such as primary care, mental health services, addictions care, social services and employment support.

The provincial hubs will have similar services to the Youth Opportunities Unlimited hub and Atlohsa's hub at Parkwood Institute for Indigenous people.

"I'm so thrilled that through HART hub funding, there will be a place for clients to have wraparound supports on their journey to wellness," said the local CMHA branch's CEO Pam Tobin. 

"Projects are already underway that will continue to expand capacity of London's supportive housing units and affordable housing to ensure clients have a pathway to long-term sustainable housing solutions." 

CMHA will work with community agencies like Ark Aid Mission, Indwell, St. Joseph's Health Care and others to provide "centralized services" as well as supports for women at a different location, said Dean Astolfi, CMHA's vice president of supportive housing. 

"London is already home to a wealth of services and by combining these with the essential investment of HART hubs, we know we can improve and strengthen our community even more," he said. 

London's HART hub will include wellness spaces, access to essential health care, food, skill development programs, one-on-one and group supports along with supportive housing, he said. 

'This is huge,' says Woodstock mayor

For Oxford County, the hub announcement is fantastic news, said Woodstock's Mayor Jerry Acchione. 

"This is what we've been working on for the last couple of years," he said. "To have this announcement today and put it all together is just as good as it gets."

The hub location has already been purchased by Woodstock Hospital at 16 Graham St. in downtown, he said, noting he doesn't have exact details of how much funding they'll receive for operating costs. 

Community members will now have access to addiction and mental health services and some transition beds, he said.

"This is huge," he said, noting they worked in collaboration with community partners through the Mayor's task force on community and social well-being to make it possible. "To have their support is instrumental to getting this off the ground."

London's Mayor Josh Morgan said investments in hubs, supportive housing along with treatment and recovery centres creates more support for people across the province.

"This is going to really give us an incredible amount of new spaces to continue to take people off the streets and out of encampments in this community and get them the care they need," he said. "It will be transformative for this community." 

The province estimates hubs will add 540 highly supportive housing units across all 27 HART hubs, in addition to addiction recovery and treatment beds, said Jones.

The 18 new HART hubs that have been approved by the province are:

• Fourcast – Four Counties Addictions Services Team (Peterborough).
• CMHA Peel Dufferin (Brampton).
• Health Sciences North/ Horizon Santé Nord (Greater Sudbury).
• The HART of Simcoe (Barrie).
• Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (Windsor).
• CMHA Hastings and Prince Edward County (Belleville).
• Durham Community Health Centre (Oshawa).
• CMHA Thames Valley (London).
• CMHA Algoma (Sault Ste. Marie).
• Services and Housing in Province (Dufferin County).
• Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health (Lanark, Leeds and Grenville).
• Oxford Ontario Health Team (Oxford County).
• County of Renfrew (Renfrew County).
• Gateway of Niagara (Niagara).
• CMHA Lambton Kent Sarnia (Sarnia).
• Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre (Ottawa).
• Kenora Chiefs Advisory (Kenora).
• Maamwesying (Sault Ste. Marie).