THUNDER BAY— The transition of Path 525 to a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub shows the province is recognizing the importance of supporting the addictions crisis, says the chair of the Thunder Bay and District Social Servcies Administration Board (DSSAB).
The province announced last week a HART Hub will replace Thunder Bay’s only safe consumption site, which was scheduled to close in March because it's within 200 metres of schools and licensed child-care centres.
Chair of the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) Brian Hamilton told Newswatch, "it's fantastic" the city was chosen for one of the HART Hubs.
He said the DSSAB has worked alongside NorWest Community Health Centres throughout the application process because they recognize that as a housing provider they're part of the path to recovery.
“Housing in general is recognized as a critical element to recovery. Housing is the missing piece for a lot of people. A lot of people are surviving the best way they can on the streets. Looking at the outside, it's difficult to understand, but when you don't have a house, it’s really, really difficult to move your life forward,” Hamilton said.
The HART Hubs have primary care and mental health services including addiction care and support, social services and employment support, but they will not support the safe consumption of illicit drugs.
Local advocates have been adamant that closing safe consumption sites will lead to more overdose deaths and additional public health concerns. Some politicians, including Thunder Bay Superior North MPP Lise Vaugeois and Hamilton himself, have also spoken out in favour of the safe consumption program.
Hamilton spoke at a rally in support of Path 525 in October, saying "we absolutely need the program.”
When asked, following the HART Hub announcement, if he was concerned the city would see a rise in opioid deaths with the removal of the safe consumption site, Hamilton said, “there's an all-hands-on-deck approach here, but nobody has any concrete evidence or answers on how to move the dial on this. So, the province, to their credit, is moving forward in a different direction.”
“What I'm hearing from the front-line is people saw some effective engagement with users on the front-line and that they were changing lives and saving lives. So, this is a bit of a change of tact, so we'll see where it goes fortunately though with the HART Hub," said Hamilton.
Mayor Ken Boshcoff said he has “mixed feelings” on the HART Hub announcement, but “in general we would be accepting of anything that will help address the problem.”
“In this world, almost anything that you can do to help is a step up," Boshcoff said. "So, the province coming to the table, we know that there's a role for the federal government, I can't say that they have not been there, we've been very fortunate here. We've had a great representation from our elected reps at a national and provincial level, and so they have been delivering. I'm pretty pleased.”
