Ontario Approves New Treatment Hub in Kitchener
Province supporting community safety in Kitchener while investing in lasting recovery from addiction
January 7th, 2025
KITCHENER— The Ontario government is protecting the safety of children and families in Kitchener while improving access to recovery and treatment services by approving the transition of nine drug injection sites that are located within 200 meters of schools and licensed child-care centres into Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs. This includes the creation of a new HART Hub in Kitchener as part of the province’s $378 million investment to support the creation of a total of 19 new HART Hubs across the province.
“In partnership with community organizations, our government is investing in the transition of the Kitchener Consumption and Treatment Services site into a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub,” said MPP Mike Harris, Kitchener-Conestoga. “The Kitchener HART Hub is among the first to make this transition, and it will connect those struggling with addiction challenges to comprehensive treatment and preventative services, while also addressing the safety concerns that have been raised by parents, families and our community.”
In response to serious safety concerns raised by families and parents in Kitchener, Ontario is taking the next step to create a system of care that prioritizes community safety, treatment and recovery. To support these goals, the province passed the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act and the Community Care and Recovery Act to prohibit the operation of drug injection sites within 200 meters of a school or child-care centre. Each provincially funded site, including in Kitchener, was given the opportunity to submit a proposal to transition to a HART Hub and all nine applications have now been approved.
By March 31, 2025, the drug injection site in Kitchener will be transitioned to a HART Hub. This hub will be eligible, on average, to receive up to four times more funding to support treatment and recovery under the new model than they received from the province as a consumption site. To assist with transitioning, the new hubs will also receive one time funding for start up costs.
“We are encouraged by this funding coming into our community given the needs of those that we serve. This funding will help increase access to primary care, mental health and addiction care, housing, and social supports. As HART hub co-leads, Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo and the House of Friendship, will be working closely with community partners across the Waterloo Region to build on our collaborative network to support vulnerable people in our community.” – Tara Groves-Taylor, Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo and John Neufeld, House of Friendship
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 it is needed.
QUICK FACTS
• 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.
• As part of the Community Care and Recovery Act, 2024 and the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act, the province has prohibited municipalities and/or local boards from participating in any so-called safer supply program or applying for an exemption for the decriminalization of illegal drugs.
• 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:
o $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.
o $152 million over three years for supportive housing to assist individuals facing unstable housing conditions and experiencing mental health and addictions challenges.
o 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.
o 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.
o Up to $16 million to support Police-Partnered MCRTs in over 50 communities across the province so that health care professionals can attend crisis situations.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES