Those struggling with addiction and mental health issues in Sarnia-Lambton are being given a helping hand from the Ontario government.
The city is one of 18 municipalities that will be getting a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub.
The hubs are part of the province’s plan to support safer communities by investing $529 million to create a total of 27 HART Hubs across the province.
The province also touted previously-announced plans to ban drug injection sites from operating within 200 metres of schools and licensed childcare centres.
MPP Bob Bailey made the funding announcement on Monday afternoon at the Lambton Shared Services Centre.
"Our government continues to build on the progress that we've achieved so far, to connect more people to the treatment and support they need when they need them, while continuing to build safe communities," said MPP Bailey.
Bluewater Health President and CEO Paula Reaume-Zimmer said they'll focus on the continuum of care for substance use disorder recovery model.
She said the initial stay at the hospital's withdrawal management program and transition to Ryan's House for up to 30 days was not enough.
"Us adding 30 transitional recovery beds to our model really does create a full continuum of care in our community that we can all be proud of," said Reaume-Zimmer.
County of Lambton General Manager of Social Services Valerie Colasanti said she was pleased the county was chosen as a HART Hub location.
"We know that we have the data that demonstrated the need," said Colasanti. "We have over 320 homeless individuals on our by-name list. That certainly doesn't include all of the other individuals in our community that are suffering from addictions and mental health. Part of this application is a partnership with Indwell for 12 supportive units within social housing here in Lambton County and this is a significant step toward meeting the goals outlined in our local multi-year, affordable, supportive housing strategy that will address the growing crisis in Lambton County."
Lambton County Warden Kevin Marriott said it's good to know that numerous delegations held over the last year or two have paid off.
"A HART Hub location is a welcome addition to Lambton County. This project is a collaboration between CMHA Lambton-Kent, Ontario Health Team Sarnia-Lambton, Bluewater Health, and the County of Lambton," said Marriott.
In a news release, Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said he was thrilled with the announcement.
"It's been a long journey to today's Hub announcement, which will provide comprehensive services that are desperately needed in Sarnia Lambton. These services will enhance what is already available to help our vulnerable population, including those facing homelessness, addictions, and mental health issues," Bradley said. "A collaborative community came together to support the hub, and together we are building a stronger, more resilient community where mental health, addictions, and recovery treatment are priorities for all. To quote Helen Keller, 'Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.'"
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.
The goal is for all HART Hubs to be operational by April 1.
--With files from Melanie Irwin