HART Hub opens in Sault Ste. Marie, offering ‘one-door’ access to wraparound supports

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After a soft launch on Oct. 1, Sault Ste. Marie’s new HART Hub officially opened with a media event on Thursday, launching what local leaders call a long-awaited, coordinated response to the city’s rising homelessness, mental health, and addiction pressures.

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The Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub — built through provincial funding and operated in partnership by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Algoma, the District of Sault Ste. Marie Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) and more than a dozen local agencies — brings housing supports, addiction treatment, mental health care, and outreach services under one roof. 

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The goal, officials say, is to reduce the need for residents to navigate scattered and complex systems, and instead provide wraparound supports in a “one-door” model.

Between 2016 and 2024, the number of people living unsheltered in Sault Ste. Marie rose by 75 per cent. DSSAB reported 486 people experiencing homelessness last year, and Algoma’s opioid-related death and hospitalization rates remain among the highest in Ontario.

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“This investment represents an essential milestone in our community’s collective road to recovery,” said Stephanie Pagnucco, board chair of DSSAB. “Everyone deserves safety, dignity and the opportunity for hope.”

Case said the Hub formalizes the informal “helping hand” the community has long offered.

“It’s not the whole solution to homelessness, addiction and mental health struggles in the Sault, but it is a critical piece of the puzzle,” she said.

A coordinated model

The HART Hub is part of Ontario’s network of 28 hubs designed to deliver wraparound services through a single access point. 

Sault Ste. Marie’s model integrates mental health and addiction treatment, outreach, primary care, transitional housing supports, employment preparation, and connections to withdrawal management at the Northway Wellness Centre.

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The province has committed $6.3 million to the local site.

Associate minister of mental health and addictions Vijay Thanigasalam said the government wants consistent operations across all hubs and emphasized the role of data in future funding decisions.

“We want to collect data from all 28 HART Hubs … so that in 2026 and 2027 we are making more evidence-based decisions,” Thanigasalam said, who has been criss-crossing the province over the last several weeks for the opening of the Hubs. “This is about restoring hope, strengthening communities and helping people build stability.”

He acknowledged the lengthy timeline between the province’s initial announcement in early 2025 and final funding agreements, saying the simultaneous rollout of multiple new hubs required consistency and coordination.

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More than 20 hubs across the province are now operational, he added, with others — including Sudbury’s — expected to open in the coming months once staffing and clinical capacity are in place.

Local impact

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the new funding represents a “significant” expansion of what had previously been delivered at the former Community Resource Centre.

“It’s going to be able to help more people, reach more people, and be provided with greater access because of the provincial dollars going into it,” Shoemaker said.

Some services previously paid for through DSSAB and CMHA Algoma will now shift to HART Hub funding, freeing local dollars for other priorities, including relocating the men’s shelter. 

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DSSAB is assessing a potential site in the Jamestown neighbourhood for that move, which has stirred tensions among some community members.

“I think that the freed up dollars from the HART Hub operations will further improve wherever the shelter is next time,” Shoemaker said.

With respect to the Hub, Shoemaker said community consultations have been ongoing since the Community Resource Centre era, particularly with neighbours concerned about shelter operations. 

“There’s been a lot of concern as to how the shelter has been operated here from neighbors,” he said. “Rightfully so. There were some serious issues with it.”

However, he said policy and physical-space changes implemented over the summer have already improved conditions.

The mayor stressed the severity of the local crisis. The city’s unsheltered population has grown from under 100 people in 2016 to more than 450 in 2024.

“It’s continuing to outpace how fast we can tackle it,” he said. “This new investment is a three-times increase to the dollars going into mental health and addiction services. It’s going to help a lot.”

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