Ontario funds Belleville HART hub

The proposal submitted by Canadian Mental Health Association – Hastings Prince Edward (CMHA HPE) and partner groups to the Ministry of Health for HART hub funding was approved and Belleville will have one of the 18 new HART hubs across the province.

The Ontario government is providing $6.3 million per year for an initial term of three years in operational funding for a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) treatment and care hub by CMHA Hastings and Prince Edward County and partner groups.

There were 82 applications for this, I believe, across the province. It is a good investment in the area and it is a regional hub. It’s a first step to try and help people who are down and out

Mayor Neil Ellis

This HART Hub will offer safety and support for the entire community across Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, including those who are most marginalized, individuals working within the system, and community members – such as businesses – who are also affected by the ongoing crisis.

The Hub proposed services include:

• primary and emergency care
• mental health and addictions services including rapid access to addictions medicine clinics
• mental health and addictions supportive housing and transitional housing
• social services and employment support

The Hub will also provide in-person and virtual access points.

The key objective for the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties HART Hub is to rapidly and significantly enhance access to supportive, culturally safe/relevant addictions services that support recovery in Hastings and Prince Edward counties.

HART Hubs, similar to existing hub models in Ontario, including two in London, that have successfully provided people with care, will reflect regional priorities by connecting people with complex needs to comprehensive treatment and preventative services. These include a range of services to meet local needs such as primary care, mental health services, addictions care, social services and employment support. HART Hubs will also add an estimated 540 highly supportive housing units across all 27 HART Hubs, in addition to addiction recovery and treatment beds, helping thousands of people each year transition to more stable long-term housing.

With a focus on treatment and recovery, HART Hubs will not offer so-called safer supply, supervised drug consumption or needle exchange programs.

Government of Ontario

The first 9 HART hubs previously operated as supervised consumption sites in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph and Thunder Bay that were required to close due to being located within 200 metres of a school or licensed child-care centre and have been approved for transition to a HART Hub as of January 2, 2025.