The Ontario government is expanding access to high-quality mental health and addictions care with the launch of a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub in Barrie and surrounding communities. This is part of the province’s almost $550 million investment to open 28 HART Hubs across Ontario to protect the safety of children and families, while improving access to recovery and treatment services for people facing housing instability, mental health and substance use challenges.
“We are building a stronger, more connected system of mental health and addictions care that better reflects the needs of communities and focuses on lasting recovery,” said Vijay Thanigasalam, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “The opening of this new HART Hub will ensure that people struggling with mental health and addictions challenges in Simcoe County can get the care they need on their path to recovery, while keeping the community safe.”
HART Hubs connect people to a range of comprehensive treatment and recovery services such as primary care, mental health services, addictions care, social services and employment support. The Simcoe County HART Hub is open for service across multiple locations, including Barrie, Orillia and Midland. The Bayfield Street location in Barrie serves as the central access point for walk-ins and general inquiries, while services are delivered through existing clinical and community sites across the region. The HART Hub is operated by the County of Simcoe and the City of Barrie with a number of local partners through a collaborative network of clinical, social service and care providers working together to connect individuals with the supports they need, when they need them.
Together, these partners deliver services tailored to the needs of the community, such as:
- Community outreach
- Withdrawal management
- Live-in addiction treatment and pre-treatment
- Mental health treatment
- Crisis support
- Mental Health and Addictions Supportive Housing
- Employment and social support
- Indigenous-specific services
- Primary care
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and building on the Roadmap to Wellness, the province is taking action to connect individuals to integrated mental health and addictions services, where and when they need it.
