4 more homelessness and addiction hubs announced for eastern Ontario
Hubs approved in Belleville, Brockville, Renfrew County and a 2nd in Ottawa
Ontario has announced the approval of four new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs in Belleville, Brockville and Pembroke, plus a second one in Ottawa.
Last summer, the province banned supervised drug consumption sites within 200 metres of schools and child-care centres, saying they were failing to divert clients into treatment programs.
Instead, it's shifting to the hub model that it said could offer shelter beds, addiction care, primary care, supportive housing, employment support and more. They won't offer "safer" supply, supervised drug consumption or needle exchange.
Health providers had to apply to open these hubs. The first cohort of nine hubs included the Somerset West Community Health Centre in Ottawa's Chinatown, which has a supervised site that's being forced to close.
On Monday, Ontario announced another 18 HART Hubs. All 27 announced so far are aiming to open by April 1, the province said in the news release.
The proposed details
Belleville's hub will serve Hastings and Prince Edward counties and will work to "rapidly and significantly enhance access to supportive, culturally safe/relevant addictions services that support recovery," according to the province.
The John Howard Society of Belleville told CBC on Tuesday it worked on the application with 11 other local agencies.
Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis said it will go a long way toward addressing the city's mental health and addictions crisis.
The hub for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties will be in Brockville, according to that city's mayor, and consolidate services under one roof to better manage clients with complex needs.
Mayor Matt Wren thanked the province for "demonstrating it recognizes that the challenges of mental health, addictions, and homelessness extend beyond large urban centres."
Renfrew County's hub will be in Pembroke, according to a spokesperson for the surrounding county. It's part of a broader project to counter overdoses.
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Ottawa's second site has been approved under the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, which said it was applying. The pitch there is "low-barrier, personalized care" to help clients navigate services and find or keep homes. It's also intended to reduce stress on local emergency departments.
All include proposals for some kind of supportive housing and employment support. All but Belleville's mention peer support.