A new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub has officially launched in Peterborough, marking part of Ontario’s broader $560-million plan to expand access to mental health, addictions and housing supports across the province.
The Peterborough hub is one of 29 being established in Ontario and brings together health care, social services and community partners under a single coordinated model aimed at improving access to care for people facing homelessness, substance use and mental health challenges.
“For the first time in Ontario’s history, we are taking a look at the entire continuum for homelessness, addictions, and recovery,” said Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough–Kawartha. “The HART Hub is a fantastic approach; it means that we are crossing different sectors to ensure that we are providing the services where they need it, when they need it, and at the appropriate level. People can enter at any stage into the Hub, wherever they are, and then progress through. It is the first time that any province has looked at the entire continuum for homelessness, addiction, and rehab.”
MPP Laurie Scott, who represents Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, said the initiative will help connect vulnerable residents with coordinated supports closer to home.
“The opening of the Peterborough HART Hub marks an important step forward in ensuring that our most vulnerable residents have access to the supports they need,” Scott said. “The HART Hub brings together health care, mental health and addiction services, housing supports, and other community resources in one place, helping people access compassionate care closer to home.”
The Peterborough HART Hub is led by the Four Counties Addictions Services Team (Fourcast), working alongside partners including the City of Peterborough Social Services, the Canadian Mental Health Association — Haliburton, Kawartha and Pine Ridge, Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough, Peterborough Community Health Centre, Peterborough County-City Paramedics and Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
Fourcast executive director Donna Rogers said the model will help strengthen and diversify local housing and treatment supports.
“The provincial government’s investment in HART Hub Peterborough provides local partners with the opportunity to expand resources and services for those experiencing homelessness in our community,” Rogers said. “Building on the core foundations of homelessness services in Peterborough, we will diversify our housing solutions to target specialized services for specialized needs. Our unique model puts a laser focus on long term housing stability for those with few housing options. We believe that housing is the solution for those in our community facing the intersecting crisis of addiction, mental health and homelessness.”
The province says HART Hubs are designed to offer integrated services including primary care, mental health and addictions treatment, case management, employment and income supports, supportive housing and Indigenous-led services.
Officials say the goal is to allow individuals to enter care at any point in the system and receive wraparound supports tailored to their needs, while easing pressure on emergency departments and frontline services.
The initiative is part of Ontario’s Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and builds on the Roadmap to Wellness strategy aimed at improving coordination across the province’s mental health and addictions system.
