Ontario Opening Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in Oxford
January 27, 2025
$529 million record investment will create a total of 27 new HART hubs across Ontario
January 27, 2025
OXFORD — The Ontario government is helping create safer communities and supporting people struggling with addiction and mental health issues in Oxford by building a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub. This new hub is part of the province’s plan to support safer communities by investing $529 million to create a total of 27 HART Hubs across the province while also banning drug injection sites from operating within 200 metres of schools and licensed child-care centres.
“I am thrilled to see this important investment from our government,” said Ernie Hardeman, MPP for Oxford. “This funding will be critical in addressing the needs of our community, supporting those who are facing homelessness, and providing addiction recovery services. It’s a step in the right direction toward building a stronger, more resilient community for everyone.”
Oxford’s HART Hub, similar to existing hub models in Ontario that have successfully provided people with care, will reflect regional priorities by connecting people with complex needs to comprehensive treatment and preventative services. Planning efforts to create the HART Hub in Oxford are underway and the proposed services to be offered could include:
- Primary and psychiatric care
- Mental health and addictions services including counselling, brief therapy, assertive community treatment, addictions treatment, Mental Health Emergency and Response Team crisis services, Rapid Access Addictions Medicine, withdrawal management
- Mental and addictions supportive housing, emergency shelter, housing stability/ eviction prevention and housing case management
- Income support
- Family services and supports
“Our government is helping more people get the treatment and support they need, when and where they need it, by taking the next step to improve access to mental health and addictions services,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Our investment to create a total of 27 new HART Hubs will keep communities safe and ensure timely and comprehensive access to mental health support, addiction care, primary care, supportive housing, and employment services, no matter where you live.”
The 18 new HART hubs locations, including in Oxford, were chosen as a result of a provincewide call for proposals last summer. All HART Hubs will have the goal of being operational by April 1, 2025. Earlier this year, the province announced that 9 drug injection sites in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph and Thunder Bay that are required to close due to being located within 200 metres of a school or licensed child-care centres have been approved for transition to a HART Hub. This brings the total number of HART Hubs across the province to 27, 8 more than initially planned.
“We are investing more than any government in Ontario’s history to create a nation-leading system of mental health and addictions care,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “The new HART Hubs will give people struggling with addiction the support and treatment services they need to achieve lasting recovery.”
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and building on the Roadmap to Wellness, the province is taking action to connect individuals to integrated mental health and addictions services, where and when they need it.