Ontario opens St. Catharines HART Hub after funding delay

The Ontario government announced Friday morning the opening of a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub in St. Catharines.

The province says the new hub is part of an almost $550 million investment to open 28 HART hubs across Ontario, to improve access to recovery and treatment services for people facing housing instability, mental health and substance use challenges.

“The opening of this new HART Hub will help to ensure that people struggling with mental health and addictions challenges in Niagara Region can access support services that prioritizes their path to recovery and strengthen community safety,” said Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Vijay Thanigasalam in a statement.

Gateway Residential & Community Support Services will serve as the lead agency for the Niagara HART Hub and will work with several local partner organizations including Niagara Region Mental Health and De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Services.

The new hub brings together a network of local support services to provide primary care, mental health and addiction services, and mobile clinic and community services.

Last year, the St. Catharines hub was ready to open by April, but the opening date was delayed past August because the Queen’s Park money didn’t show up.

The St. Catharines HART Hub officially opened March 27 at 11 a.m.

WATCH MORE: St. Catharines HART Hub stalls services due to provincial funding delays