Ontario's associate minister of mental health and addictions is welcoming an application from the City of Windsor as it tries for one of 19 HART hubs in the province.
The Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment model, or HART hub, was announced in August as a program to replace safe drug consumption sites, like SafePoint at 101 Wyandotte Street East in Windsor.
Michael Tibollo was in the city on Friday and joined Brentwood Recovery Home as it marked 60 years in service.
He says he hopes the city's application comes with a robust plan that includes all community partners working collaboratively.
"Make sure that we identify where the gaps are, connect the pieces and make sure a person when they want help, we're able to give them the help immediately and provide them the supports, not just for treatment but also the aftercare supports, and that's why the community is so important. People go back to the community, people go back to their lives, and they need to have those supports to know that that care continues even after they've completed treatment."
The government will invest at total of $378 million in 19 new HART hubs.
The hubs will be designed to provide people with comprehensive treatment and preventative services, including primary care, mental health services, addiction care and support, social services and employment support, shelter and transition beds, supportive housing, and other supplies and services, including naloxone, onsite showers, and food.
He says housing is critical to recovery.
"Creating these treatment recovery models and providing the space for these individuals to move into because again, we'll reignite the hope, but that hope will only continue if they start having the other issues dealt with, like a roof over their head, food security, education if that's what they want, a job."
The city must submit its application by Oct. 18, and Tibollo says he expects the review process to begin immediately.
"Our intention with the HART hub proposals is that we want people to come forward that have already space available so that we're not looking at two years of build out and three years to start programs, we want programs started by the spring of next year."
Last week, Windsor's commissioner of human and health services called for the program to be operational by early 2025.
If approved, the city could receive up to $6.3 million in operating funds, along with over $1.3 million for one-time construction and startup costs, and $1.3 million for supportive housing units.
-With files from AM800's Rusty Thomson