On June 13, the Government of Ontario halted funding for its supervised consumption sites, shifting to a recovery-based response to the opioid and housing precarity crisis. This closure affected Ottawa's final two safe-injection spaces at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre and the Shepherds of Good Hope, directing users to two newly established HART Hubs.
What Are HART Hubs?
HART Hubs, an abbreviation for Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs, are 18 facilities approved in January 2025 by the Ontario Ministry of Health. They aim to provide a comprehensive range of health and social services under one roof, moving beyond the single-intervention model of supervised consumption sites.
Anthony Desloges, clinical manager of the West Ottawa HART Hub—a partnership with the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre—explained that the hubs offer nurse practitioners, mental health counsellors, housing case managers, in-patient withdrawal management beds, and registered social workers. "We ensure folks have timely access to not only treatment for substance use and health-related items, but also primary care, mental health and other resources that can improve individuals’ health and well-being," he said, describing the one-door model of care.
Contrasting Approaches: HART Hubs vs. Supervised Consumption Sites
Unlike supervised consumption sites, which focused on preventing overdose deaths through monitored injection, HART Hubs emphasize treatment and recovery. Desloges stressed, "It’s definitely not meant to be a replacement for (supervised injection) services, but new services that are being offered to the community."
Suzanne Obiorah, CEO of the Somerset West Community Health Centre's HART Hub, noted that the hubs address basic needs like meals and showers while targeting housing stability. "People’s definitions of treatment and recovery differ. But the goal is around helping folks on their journey to recovery, whatever that may look like," she said. She also acknowledged public concerns about the visibility of homelessness and perceptions of safety, adding, "We also respond to some public concerns around the visibility of the homelessness crisis and perceptions of safety."
Avoiding Polarization in the Crisis Response
Obiorah warned against pitting the two models against each other. "There’s a way to emphasize that one model isn’t winning over another. We’re navigating the context in which we’re working, which is one of a toxic, very pervasive drug crisis as well as a homelessness crisis. This is a moment that calls for co-ordination, not polarization," she said.
The transition has sparked debate among advocates and healthcare providers, with some arguing that the removal of supervised consumption sites could lead to increased overdose deaths. However, the Ontario government maintains that the HART Hubs offer a more sustainable, recovery-oriented approach to addressing addiction and homelessness.
