Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare seeking county partner to co-lead Windsor's proposed HART hub

The CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, one of the lead agencies tasked with managing finances for Windsor's proposed HART hub, has said that the new model focuses on streamlining referrals between existing services rather than creating new ones.

During Monday’s Windsor city council meeting, it was announced that Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare will serve as a lead "transfer payment agency" (TPA) for the HART hub.

The HART — Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment — hub model was introduced by the province to replace safe drug consumption sites.

(Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

In August, the Ford government announced it would not accept new applications for safe consumption sites, which means that SafePoint at 101 Wyandotte Street East will not reopen.

The province has allocated $378 million to fund 19 new HART hubs across Ontario, focusing on treatment and recovery rather than supervised drug consumption.

"We have service providers. This will not develop a new service, but it will strengthen our ability to move people into services quicker, in a more timely way, and meet them halfway," said Bill Marra, CEO of Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.

If the province approves the city's HART hub application, which must be submitted by Oct. 18, the hub would receive $6.3 million in operating funds, $1.8 million for one-time construction and startup costs, and $1.3 million for supportive housing units, according to commissioner of human and health services Andrew Daher.

Supportive housing units are expected to be a significant part of the permanent Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) when it moves to Wellington Avenue.

However, the new H4 isn’t expected to open until 2028, and its current location at the former Water World building has limited capacity.

Daher said community partners are working to secure a central location for the HART hub, but the timeline is tight.

"This model has to be effective Winter 2025. I don't know if it's January, February or March, but by sometime early 2025, it has to be up, ready and operational," said Daher.

Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. (Chris Campbell / CTV Windsor)

According to Daher, the HART hub will be completely distinct from the H4.

While the H4 serves people facing health or housing challenges but are not yet seeking help, the HART hub will focus on individuals ready to accept assistance with their personal situations.

As a lead TPA for the proposed HART hub, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare would manage $6.3 million in operating funds, distributing them to community partners.

 

However, Marra emphasized that the HART hub isn’t about housing all services in one place. Instead, it’s about funding providers to make client referrals between services smoother.

"For example, we have a 22-bed withdrawal management program here on this campus. It's a detox program where there's a gap occasionally in getting the person referred," said Marra. "Sometimes, there's a lapse of time for them to get into treatment. That's where we need to close the gap."

Community partners are also working to determine where the supportive housing units funded by the $1.3 million portion will be located.

"There isn't a pathway for people coming out of the hospital, H4 or the jail system to enter supportive housing," said Daher. "Where this model will be really effective, assuming they want to receive services and supports, is that it will give them a pathway."

As for next steps, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is actively seeking a "co-lead" TPA.

Marra said having a county-based co-lead will help address the needs of residents outside the city, including transportation.

"This is a Windsor-Essex initiative. This is not just for Windsor," he said. "Hopefully, this will mean there will be a collaborative effort. We're going to be working with probably a dozen or more other agencies and service providers.

"It's not about rebuilding services or creating new agencies. It's about augmenting current service providers and really closing the gaps in certain areas where we see deficiencies."