What are HART Hubs, the recovery-focused treatment centres that replaced safe injection sites?

Article content

“We want all people in our community to feel safe, and that absolutely needs to include the safety for individuals who are experiencing homelessness or substance-use challenges.”

Article content

Anthony Desloges is the clinical manager at the West Ottawa HART Hub, the newest of Ottawa’s two HART Hubs.Photo by Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen Photo by Jean Levac /Jean Levac

Article content

Every Hub is unique

Article content

“HART Hubs cater to the services of the community that surrounds them,” Desloges said.

Article content

The services of the West Ottawa Heart Hub, for example, were built to manage the needs of the Ottawa West Four Rivers Ontario Health Team region, which encompasses anything in the zone from Woodroffe Avenue in Ottawa to Arnprior and Spencerville, he said.

Article content

“So, the focus we have here is more to the suburban and rural populations, even though we do see an urban population accessing services here. An example of primary substances that we see in our region would be more related to stimulants, as well as alcohol. So we have more resources dedicated to those substances on site,” said Desloges, who noted that the Hub would help anyone who walked through its doors.

Article content

Because Somerset West was once a safe-injection site, when its HART Hub began developing the space in early 2025, it was informed by the community that depended on its services, Obiorah said, adding that she didn’t want those who used the clinic’s consumption treatment service to get lost in the process.

Article content

Article content

“Our HART Hub emphasizes serving people who are experiencing chronic homelessness. These are folks that are also precariously housed or underhoused, and these individuals have been living with various substance challenges and may be looking for different ways to treat that,” she said, noting that the Hub had housed 45 individuals so far.

Article content

The locations of the newly operating HART hubs in west Ottawa, compared to the locations of the recently closed consumption sites. Photo by Robert Cross

Article content

Not a perfect solution

Article content

When Somerset West’s consumption site closed, there was immediately a gap in care, Obiorah said.

Article content

“It created tension in our community. What we see now is that individuals were still using, and, rather than using in our buildings, it’s now happening more so in parks, in businesses, on sidewalks, etc. We did a lot of work to help with reducing confusion among the folks that were accessing our services, yet it still took time to figure it out and to regain trust,” she said.

Article content

Others — like Rakesh Patel, medical director of Ottawa Inner City Health — are unsure whether the Hubs can handle the scope of the crisis.

Article content

“There’s a tremendous need for mental health support that I don’t think the HART Hubs are ever going to be able to manage,” Patel said.

Article content

Article content

The geographic distance between the last-to-close consumption sites downtown and the closest HART Hub (about an hour’s walk away) is also notable.

Article content

“When the Somerset West site closed last year, that was absolutely observed. The uptake in accessing those supports was low, and it was low for a number of reasons, including distance,” Obiorah said.

Article content

Folks who seek help in a specific community live in that community and are seeking support in that community. They have relationships within it, and it’s difficult to leave and go elsewhere for support, she said.

Article content

While Somerset West offers transportation to several services, Obiorah says its capacity is limited, so it’s looking at ways to leverage that support.

Article content

Now, she said, about 790 individuals engage with Somerset West’s HART Hub in some way, with between 150-200 visits per day, often accessing numerous services or “touchpoints”.

Article content

Desloges says that West Ottawa Hub, because it has only been open for a few months, is seeing 20-25 new and returning individuals per day.

Article content

“Regardless of the number of individuals accessing the service, we’re seeing a lot of touchpoints, meaning that those coming in for care are seeking support with multiple individuals part of our professional team, which helps support the model of having all the supports available in one spot,” Desloges said.