Barrie Council supports the county’s local HART application

Simcoe County is supported by Barrie for its pending provincial application for a Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) center to address the community’s complex service needs, such as homelessness, substance use and mental health issues.

The City Council unanimously approved a direct motion to that effect last night, and also that Mayor Alex Nuttall provide the county with a letter of support.

Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson, who introduced the motion, said as part of the requirements of the application, a council motion to show support for the HART hub program and the application is recommended.

Only Coun. Sergio Morales had questions.

“What are the next steps in a process like this… what is the track? If we are successful,” he asked.

Nuttall pointed out that it is not the City of Barrie that would receive funding, but the County of Simcoe, which is the local manager of these types of services. He said this is done in collaboration with the Royal Victoria Regional Health Center (RVH) and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), as partners for physical and mental health.

“And I think they have a lot of other internal partners in terms of referrals and diversions, in housing, whether it’s transitional or more permanent housing, so we’re not really going to get a response as a council — it’s going to be the County of Simcoe that gets the answer and obviously they’re going to be the leaders of the project,” Nuttall said.

“So it’s going to be Simcoe County leading any potential public consultation or feedback process in terms of locations and sourcing sites and that sort of thing, right?” Morales asked.

“Yes, absolutely,” Nuttall replied.

The Ontario Ministry of Health has issued a call for proposals for homeless and addiction recovery treatment centers. They must offer treatment and recovery support services for people with needs related to mental health, addictions, primary care, employment and social services, as well as offering a direct route to supportive housing

The province says it is investing $378 million over the next three years to support the creation of 19 HART centres, 10 of which are being implemented through a call for proposals now.

The ministry will fund these 10 new centers through a budget of $6.3 million per year per center from 2025-26 to 2027-28, with $1.8 million per center to support start-up costs and timely implementation.

Proposals must reach the ministry no later than October 18, 2024, hence the need for a direct motion from Barrie City Council.

Mina Fayez-Bahgat, Simcoe County’s general manager of community and social services, said that since the launch of its 10-point homelessness prevention strategy in July 2023, the county has made significant investments and improvements to social and community service programs in Barrie and throughout the region.

Two of the pillars created include improving safety and well-being and creating easier ways for homeless people to access services, he said Wednesday.

“The HART Center is a new provincial program that aligns with our strategy,” said Fayez-Bahgat.

The county had not applied as of Wednesday, he said, and is in the process of developing an application. No location specified for a HART hub.

The province says the HART centers will add up to 375 units of supportive housing, as well as addiction treatment and recovery beds, to help thousands of people each year move into more stable, long-term housing. With a focus on treatment and recovery, HART centers will not offer “safer” supply, supervised drug use or needle exchange programs, according to the ministry.

The ban on supervised consumption sites (SCS) within 200 meters of a school or day care center will result in the closure of nine provincially funded sites and one self-funded site located in Ottawa, Guelph, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, Kitchener and Toronto, as at the latest on March 31, 2025.

A request for provincial funding for a Barrie SCS was withdrawn last June when no action was taken for two and a half years. The application came from the Simcoe County Branch of the CMHA.