The HART Hub initiative has its first official footprint in Barrie a new, co-ed live-in addictions treatment centre opened in partnership with Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
Cornerstone to Recovery formerly operated the location on Dunlop Street West as an addictions treatment centre known as "The Garden."
The Ontario government shifted its addiction treatment focus since that facility opened and money was from supervised consumption sites. The decision eventually led to the creation of HART (Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hubs.
The province announced funding for the initiative in January, and the HART of Simcoe County will physically launch in June 2026.
"RVH has long envisioned the development of a live-in addictions treatment program," RVH president and CEO Gail Hunt said at Wednesday's announcement. "When the opportunity arose to be part of the HART of Simcoe County, we knew it aligned with our values, our vision, and our shared responsibility to do what is needed for communities. Together we are walking this path with intention, compassion, and hope."
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PROGRAM
Housing-based care has been a priority for RVH and the HART hub initiative as a whole. The emphasis is to provide treatment for those who struggle to find stable housing or succeed in community-based programs.
The selection of structured daily programming includes individual and group counselling aimed at tackling complex challenges such as mental health. Program director Amanda Heacock describes it as "holistic."
A group of up to 12 clients will live onsite and take part in an assortment of structured daily programming provided by a multidisciplinary care team. RVH says the focus is on providing 'person-centred care rooted in safety, dignity and recovery.'
"These are our brothers and sisters that have stumbled in life, and they need every opportunity to recover," County of Simcoe Warden Basil Clarke said during Wednesday's announcement. "In this program... you can see where they stumble and adjust the program to help carry that individual and get them back into society, back where they want to be as a contributing member of society."
“What sets this program and partnership apart is its strong connection to a broad network of wraparound supports from primary care and mental health to Indigenous Patient Navigation and housing,” says Lewicki in a news release. “We’re meeting people where they are, supporting their path to recovery, and fostering an inclusive, safe environment that addresses mental health, addiction and the social factors affecting health.”
Multiple community partners can refer those in need to the live-in program, but the program prioritizes those at the highest risk. Clients complete a 24-hour stabilization period through RVH’s Withdrawal Management Services before entering,
"There's often a fear of the unknown," RVH mental health and addictions program operations director Brandon Lewicki said to Barrie360. "We make sure that we answer the client's questions prior to their arrival to help ease some of their anxieties."
Hunt says this step in the recovery pathway represents phase three and the facility fills a big gap in the process.
"We're not graduating somebody out of our programs and then telling them good luck on the next stage of your journey, Hunt said to Barrie360. "We're actually in a partnership that allows like a nice handoff to the next partner in the next stage."
FACILITY
The facility features accommodations for 12 people with systems in place to continue supportive care for the group and the individuals.
Amentities include:
- Kitchen with adjacent living-room space
- 12 bedrooms with personal bathrooms
- Fitness room
- Laundry room
- Board-room style space for group sessions
- Shower room with five individual showers
- Rooftop patio
While it looks like a standard house in the neighbourhood, the inside is very open, clean, and secure.
Cohorts will have an organized chore list and work with each other to maintain the living spaces, and make meals. RVH also bring in one dinner a week with the goal of bringing everyone together.
The halls display artwork from the pilot group of clients. There's even a wall featuring an image of a tree in the backyard. On it, some alumni have posted inspirational messages for the groups to come.
"We feel that it's so important to create an alumni group and have them come back and really support that sense of community," Heacock said to Barrie360.
Heacock mentioned that the first group of clients had a male-to-female ratio of 5:1. They will split the next group evenly by sex.
The next group will not see many changes compared to the first.
"We kind of hit the mark the first time around," she added. "The clients loved the programming. They felt that the skills they learned were transferable into their everyday lives moving forward. They felt supported here, they felt connected to one another, and they left with a feeling of hope"
Within town, location is also also an advantage RVH has. It's especially close to its existing addiction services like the Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic.
"This location also makes it accessible for staff in our other programs to be able to come over here and provide some supports, Hunt said to Barrie360. "It's accessible to clients, accessible for transit, accessible for families to visit clients when they're in this program."
Families with loved ones in the program are able to have supervised visits on weekends.
"We need to spread out these facilities," Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Doug Shipley said to Barrie360. "We can't have them all centered in one area... not just this area, but Simcoe County, and Ontario, and let's hope across the country."
"The first step is knowing there's an issue."
