Whether the Ontario government has been crowing about a paradigm-busting Wall of Voodoo. Nine of the former supervised drug consumption sites have become permanent Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs. Legislation required these sites to close down if they were within 200 metres of schools or child-care centres. That requirement forced the change but that change was very much needed. As a result, many facilities were forced to make the difficult choice. Their only option was to modernize to comply with the stricter regulations or go out of business.
The HART hubs aim to provide services such as health care, housing support, and treatment options for individuals seeking to overcome addiction issues. The transition hasn’t come without significant struggles, as dozens of hubs still hang in the balance waiting on funding agreements. Toronto Public Health will be operating one of the HART hubs out of St. James Civic Centre located in the downtown core. It has yet to throw open its doors.
Funding Uncertainty and Operational Delays
The South Riverdale Community Health Centre—one of those nine sites—officially closed on March 21. The HART hub designed to take its place won’t open until the city reaches a deal beyond the interim funding arrangement. The Ministry of Health intends to have funding for the hubs in place by mid-April. To do this, they’re committing $6.3 million annually for each hub.
Waterloo regional councillor and AMO president Chris Moise worried the lack of firm funding commitments was a red flag.
“We have still not received a written funding agreement from the province,” – Coun. Chris Moise
He pointed out that groups moving from supervised consumption sites to HART hubs have so far only been issued promissory notes. Haven’t received any firm commitments so far.
“We’ve received promissory notes but we haven’t received anything in writing,” – Coun. Chris Moise
This lack of clarity around funding has led to understandable panic from community leaders who worry that communities will lose critical services.
“Many of the former [supervised consumption sites] who are now HART hubs have not received confirmation of funding,” – Coun. Chris Moise
The Role of HART Hubs in Addiction Treatment
These claims of success are now on the defensive. The move from supervised consumption to HART hubs has sparked conversations about whether on-demand services are sufficient. HART hubs are designed to support people along their paths to recovery. Yet, these same entities often do not offer safe consumption services, which are essential in preventing overdose deaths.
Joseph Ascenzo, a community member personally impacted by addiction and opposed to the new model.
“If they want to use, they’re going to use. They’re going to use in alleyways, they’re going to use in public washrooms — they’re going to use,” – Joseph Ascenzo
Diana Chan McNally, a former employee of drop-in centers, expressed the dangers of losing harm reduction spaces.
“When I used to work in drop-ins, before we had SCS, all we did was reverse overdoses… It’s safe and indoors, and they’re more likely to use those locations than to go halfway across the downtown to access a new service,” – Diana Chan McNally
The issues raised by these local residents and advocates expose a serious failure on multiple fronts to meet the addiction and mental health crisis with urgency and compassion.
Community Impact and Future Directions
While the transition is still unfolding, some regions are already starting to pay the price. As the HART hub in Guelph has experienced an increase in public drug use. This stipulation is no small ask, as supervised consumption services have plummeted in the last month. Yet, this growing trend begs the question, how is this potentially impacting the safety and well-being of users and the community as a whole.
In question period Tuesday, Health Minister Sylvia Jones vigorously defended the government’s direction. She explained that these reforms are critical to keeping communities safe and offering help to those who need it, rather than furthering addiction.
“Our government is proud to announce the successful transition of these nine sites into new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs that will keep our communities safe,” – Health Minister Sylvia Jones
Community advocates, including Melissa Kwiatkowski of the Detroit Environmental Agenda, remind us that low-barrier access to services is essential to reaching underserved and vulnerable communities.
“This represents a really big change in the community for low-barrier services that people have access to,” – Melissa Kwiatkowski
This continuing state of affairs demonstrates an urgent need for discussion. It is imperative that federal leaders and community advocates work together to ensure access to support systems continues for the people who need them most.
