As a number of Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs opened across Ontario on Tuesday, the Sarnia site is still in preparation mode.
Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton Kent CEO Rhonny Doxtator said there was a temporary pause while they were awaiting the outcome of the provincial election since the Ministry of Health was in caretaker mode.
"So we're in progress now doing a lot of planning, we're meeting weekly with our partners in preparation," said Doxtator.
She said they hope to have the site up and running as soon as possible.
"We're hoping to have a lot of the programs in place by May, so well on our way," she said.
The Ontario government says the HART Hubs will reflect regional priorities by connecting people with complex needs to comprehensive mental health support and addictions care.
Doxtator said there's been a lot of interest and excitement surrounding the site since it was announced in January.
"The fact that there's new service investment coming to Lambton County," said Doxtator. "We are very excited that the government is investing to support our community of Lambton County with this infusion so there's been a lot of interest in that for sure. It's an exciting time for us, to make available to our community our services in a more coordinated way as our partners all work together."
While the site has not been finalized, the preferred location is at the current CMHA offices on Lochiel Street in downtown Sarnia.
"So we're looking at lots of options of whether we're looking to move as well, so just shuffling around but the HART Hub specifically we're looking at the preferred site being this building here that we're in at 210 Lochiel Street," said Doxtator.