Sarnia-Lambton social agencies prepare for a November HART Hub launch

The facility, meant to support people battling addiction, mental health issues and homelessness, is set to open next month. CTV London’s Gerry Dewan has more.

It’s a facility built to support people battling addiction, mental health issues, and homelessness.

Representatives from a number of social agencies used a ZOOM call to lay out the vision for the Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub as they prepare to launch the program in November.

Nadine Neve is Executive Lead for the Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team Executive and identified the unique challenges the region faces.

“Lambton County’s health indicators are among some of the poorest in Ontario. We see higher rates of chronic disease, premature mortality and substance related harms. Opioid related deaths in Lambton are nearly double the provincial average.”

The HART Hub’s central location is set to open on Nov. 4 at what is currently the headquarters of Lambton-Kent Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) at 210 Lochiel Street.

Gerry Glover is the incoming CEO of Lambton-Kent CMHA.

“Living facilities are going to be here. There’s currently renovations/construction happening to relocate the kitchen and to create some surplus space. And then there will be a need for some offices. But there’s a lot that’s already existing in the building,” said Glover.

The CMHA offices will move to the nearby Lambton County Shared Services building.

Another key component of the region’s HART Hub concept will be located at the former Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School, a building commonly referred to as SCITS.

It will be home to transition beds for people recovering from addictions who have made it through the Acute Withdrawal Management Program at Bluewater Health’s Sarnia hospital and through phase two management at Ryan’s House.

Bluewater Health CEO Paula Rheaume-Zimmer expects the SCITS location to open in late November, and sees it as an important step towards recovery, “People can then move on through the transition beds into safe and affordable housing and we hope that that’s going to be a very successful outcome of a longer stay in the recovery plan.”

Like many communities, Sarnia has grappled with encampments, including one at Rainbow Park that was dismantled in the spring.

HART Hub proponents say new supportive residential locations are key to keeping people housed. That includes a planned 50-unit facility on George Street that will be run by the Christian charitable organization Indwell.

HART Hub Project Manager Tim Heath notes that outreach teams will also be critical to helping people find the supports they need, “They choose very well where they’re going to be going to. They try to go to hot spots that are high emergency users or high homelessness users of the system. They go to those spots to kind of meet the people where they’re at.”

Reaume-Zimmer believes the region’s history of social agencies working co-operatively positions them well to see success stories from the HART Hub concept.

“We really are working under a ‘no wrong door’ concept. Everyone is going to be very aware of each other’s resources. It’s going to be a direct handover from one program to the other without a lengthy referral process. And hopefully we’re creating capacity.”

The Province of Ontario has committed five million dollars a year over the next three years to support the Sarnia-Lambton HART Hub.