Ontario opening homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hub in Belleville

27 January 2025

Record investment of $529 million to create 27 HART Hubs across province

BELLEVILLE – The Ontario government is helping create safer communities and supporting people struggling with addiction and mental health issues in Belleville by building a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub, Tyler Allsopp, MPP for Bay of Quinte, announced today.

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.

“Increased access to mental health and addictions support, treatment, and wrap-around services like housing, primary care, and employment programming contribute to the overall wellness of our communities,” said Allsopp. “Our government recognized that when creating the HART Hub model. I’m pleased with the local stakeholders’ collaborative approach in developing a successful proposal. Together, we will ensure that residents across Bay of Quinte receive the help they need.”

Belleville’s HART Hub, like 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 Belleville are underway and the proposed services to be offered could 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

City of Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis welcomed the investment.

“We are very pleased to be receiving this crucial funding in Belleville,” said Mayor Neil Ellis. “Having this service model here in our community will go a long way in addressing the ongoing mental health and addictions crisis we are facing. We will be able to provide real, life-changing support to those who need it most. While there is still much work to be done, today’s announcement is a great step in the right direction, and we are grateful to our provincial government for their support.”

Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, said the HART Hubs support Ontario’s commitment to delivering high-quality care closer to home.

“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 Jones. “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 Belleville, 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 nine 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, eight 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.

QUICK FACTS

  • To address the unique needs of communities across the province, Ontario is adding an additional 8 HART Hubs to the initial number earmarked, bringing the total to 27 new HART Hubs.
  • The creation of HART Hubs is being done in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
  • With a focus on treatment and recovery, HART Hubs will not offer so-called safer supply, supervised drug consumption or needle exchange programs.
  • Through the Community Care and Recovery Act, 2024, the province has prohibited municipalities and local boards from applying to Health Canada for an exemption for the decriminalization of drugs. The Act also prohibits municipalities and local boards from applying to Health Canada for funding or entering into an agreement with Health Canada in respect of safer supply services or applying for an exemption or renewal of an exemption to operate a supervised consumption site, without prior provincial approval.
  • Through the Roadmap to Wellness, Ontario is investing $3.8 billion over 10 years to fill gaps in mental health and addictions care, create new services and expand programs.
  • Through the Roadmap to Wellness, the Addictions Recovery Fund and other initiatives, the government recently made the following investments:
    • $124 million over the next three years as part of Budget 2024 to sustain more than 380 addiction recovery beds and models of treatment like mobile mental health clinics.
    • $152 million over three years for supportive housing to assist individuals facing unstable housing conditions and experiencing mental health and addictions challenges.
    • More than $22 million over four years to create 10 new Youth Wellness Hubs that the government is adding to the network of 22 hubs already opened since 2020, bringing the total number of Youth Wellness Hubs to 32 across the province.
    • More than $650 million in annual funding for the Homelessness Prevention Program and $41.5 million for the Indigenous Supportive House Program, which the government increased by $202 million annually in the 2023 provincial budget.
    • Up to $16 million to support Police-Partnered Mobile Crisis Response Teams in over 50 communities across the province so that health care professionals can attend crisis situations.
    • Over $60 million in annual funding to support Indigenous-led mental health, addictions and well-being supports that will help individuals, families and communities heal from the impacts of intergenerational trauma and colonization through culturally safe and responsive programs and services that are designed and delivered by and for Indigenous people.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES