After years of planning, officials have identified a preferred location for 30 new transitional recovery beds in Sarnia.
Bluewater Health is eyeing the former Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School (SCITS) building on Wellington Street for the facility, included in the Housing and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub model, announced in January.
The beds would be operational for three years, under a demonstration project.
A number of HART hubs have already opened across Ontario, but Sarnia's remains in 'preparation mode'.
Bluewater Health President and CEO Paula Reaume-Zimmer said they're working with SCITS building owner, Mohit Gupta, to apply for rezoning with the City of Sarnia.
She said the facility was initially going to be Royal SCITS Academy, but it's now her understanding that no students will be on site and the school could operate virtually.
"We had looked at several different options in the community," said Reaume-Zimmer. "This being a three year demonstration project, we really had to identify something where we could hit the ground running. That facility is very well designed for our needs. The dormitory-style setting really would allow us to move in and be ready to operate quickly."
Reaume-Zimmer said the proposed facility will provide a structured, long-term recovery option for individuals transitioning from withdrawal management and stabilization programs.
She said the addition of transitional recovery beds fills a critical gap in Sarnia-Lambton’s addiction recovery services.
"The demand continues to grow for the addiction sector, mental health and safe and secure housing," she said. "We're confident that this will be a game changer for Sarnia-Lambton."
Reaume-Zimmer said those who are completing their 30-day stay at Bluewater Health’s stabilization facility, known as Ryan's House, often face the challenge of maintaining sobriety without stable housing or continued support.
She said she recently paid a visit to Ryan's House.
"You can see their spirits just filling up with their peers and the collegiality in the home, they're helping to make meals," said Reaume-Zimmer. "Some of them say they don't know where they're going next. It's extremely disheartening because they've put a lot of effort into staying clean for a month, trying to think about future stays. It's hard to do that when they don't know where they're going next."
The Ministry of Health will monitor the site for three years before making a decision about the future. The ministry has committed $6.3 million in funding each year for three years, and about $2.5 million for the transition beds. Meanwhile, Gupta expressed his enthusiasm for the project and his collaboration with Bluewater Health.
"SCITS has been an important part of this community for decades, and I’m excited to see it repurposed in a way that directly helps people in need," said Gupta. "We look forward to working with Bluewater Health and the City of Sarnia to move the rezoning process forward as quickly as possible, so these much-needed services can become a reality. It’s a meaningful new purpose for the SCITS building that brings great value back to the local community."
This initiative is part of a larger effort to improve access to addiction and housing supports through the Lambton HART Hub.
The project is funded by the Government of Ontario in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton-Kent, Bluewater Health, the County of Lambton, North Lambton Community Health Centre, and the Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team.
The partners are working collaboratively to get the HART Hub in Sarnia up and running as soon as possible, and continue to collaborate on the implementation plan while final funding details from the province are being finalized.
More details about the broader HART Hub initiative can be found here.