As Ontario restricts supervised consumption, can ‘HART Hubs’ fill the gap? – CBC
‘It’s like investing in a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital and then not putting in doors’
Aug 27, 2024
Ontario’s decision to ban supervised drug consumption sites near schools and child-care centres came with a commitment to fund a different approach.
The province is calling them Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, a new acronym that’s nonetheless modelled on examples that already exist in Ontario.
Last week, when Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced $378 million to support 19 of the hubs across the province, she singled out London, Ont. On Monday, Premier Doug Ford commended that city’s Mayor Josh Morgan as a pioneer for bringing the idea to reality.
In an interview with CBC News, Morgan said London has been building out the model for more than a year and now has two hubs.
“What we’ve designed is an integrated approach that brings different models of care together under the same roof,” he said.
Morgan said the hubs have a “more intense” level of service and lower staff ratios than homeless shelters, with the ultimate goal of getting people into stable housing.
