The Ontario government has expanded access to mental health and addictions care with the opening of a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub in Lambton County. This initiative is part of a province-wide investment of nearly $550 million to establish 28 HART Hubs, aimed at improving recovery and treatment services for individuals experiencing housing instability, mental health challenges, and substance use issues, while enhancing community safety.
Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Vijay Thanigasalam, emphasized that the new Lambton HART Hub strengthens a connected system of care, providing individuals in the county with the support they need for lasting recovery while keeping the broader community safe.
HART Hubs offer integrated services including primary care, mental health support, addictions treatment, social services, employment assistance, and transitional recovery beds. The Lambton Hub operates in partnership with organizations such as 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, ensuring timely, locally tailored services.
The Hub also includes Indigenous support services, mobile community outreach, mental health and addictions supportive housing, and drop-in facilities providing food, hygiene resources, and rest spaces. These services are part of Ontario’s broader strategy under Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and the Roadmap to Wellness, which aims to integrate mental health and addictions care across the province.
The Lambton HART Hub provides transitional recovery beds at 275 Wellington Street and operates a drop-in centre at 210 Lochiel Street. The province has already transitioned nine Consumption and Treatment Services sites into HART Hubs, expanding access to recovery and treatment, and will introduce nearly 900 supportive housing units province-wide, over 300 more than originally planned. Two Indigenous-led Hubs are also being established to deliver culturally relevant care.
The HART Hubs focus exclusively on treatment and recovery and do not provide safer supply, supervised drug consumption, or needle exchange programs. Ontario’s 10-year, $3.8 billion investment through the Roadmap to Wellness, along with a $303 million allocation in Budget 2025, supports the development and expansion of community-led mental health programs across the province.
Local leaders highlighted the importance of the new Hub. Anthony Leardi, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, described it as a step toward a connected health system that integrates housing, primary care, and addiction treatment. MPPs Bob Bailey and Steve Pinsonneault emphasized that the Hub will save lives, improve access to services, and support residents on a path to stability. Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley and CMHA Lambton-Kent CEO Rhonny Doxtator praised the Hub’s wrap-around care approach, noting its role in reducing pressure on emergency services and creating new pathways to recovery.
