Why the new HART Hub in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., did a subtle soft launch
CBC
Following months of waiting for Ontario government funding to come in, Sault Ste. Marie has soft-launched its Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub — also known as a HART Hub.
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Algoma quietly opened the hub inside the Community Resource Centre (CRC) and men’s shelter building near the city’s downtown core on Oct. 1.
The hub — one of 27 promised to open by April 1 in Ontario — provides recovery and treatment services for people struggling with substance use and mental health issues.
As CBC reported last month, more than half of the province’s HART Hubs were yet to open, including the one in Sudbury.
The hubs do not offer any kind of supervised drug consumption services.
Lisa Case, CEO for CMHA Algoma, said the organization officially received funding on Sept. 15.
Rather than alert the general public of the news right away, the association preferred to open the doors quietly so it could “work out the kinks,” she explained.
“It was about helping the staff adjust to a new service model. We’ve had existing clients that have been utilizing the Community Resource Centre since the fall of 2023, so [it was about] helping those clients adjust to a different service model and approach.”
Work to transition the Community Resource Centre into an exclusively operating HART Hub remains ongoing, Case said.
She told CBC many of the same community partners are still actively providing services there, such as Sault Ste. Marie District Social Services, John Howard Society, Sault Area Hospital and Niigaaniin.
The site currently provides addiction medicine, primary care, housing outreach, as well as homelessness and shelter diversion.
New additions that have entered the picture “in a more formal way,” according to Case, include counselling and case management services.
Crisis counselling is on its way, while enhancements to existing services like the Community Wellness Bus are being prioritized, the CEO said.
“The bus is available three days a week, but we’re looking to move that to seven days a week as quickly as possible.”
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