WINDSOR — Ontario has opened a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub in Windsor, marking a significant expansion of the province’s strategy to provide integrated mental health, addictions and housing supports. The centre is part of a nearly $550-million provincial initiative to establish 28 HART Hubs across Ontario, aimed at improving recovery outcomes, supporting community safety and strengthening local service capacity for people facing poverty, housing instability and substance-use challenges.
The province says the launch of the Windsor facility reflects its ongoing effort to shift toward more connected and recovery-focused care models. The hubs are intended to serve as centralized access points, linking individuals to clinical treatment, counselling, primary care, social supports and temporary housing options.
“We are building a stronger, more connected system of mental health and addictions care that better reflects the needs of communities and focuses on lasting recovery,” said Vijay Thanigasalam, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “The opening of this new HART Hub will ensure that people struggling with mental health and addictions challenges in the Windsor and Essex area can get the care they need on their path to recovery, while keeping the community safe.”
The new Windsor hub is being operated through a partnership involving Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH), the House of Sophrosyne and the Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre, with additional support from the Windsor-Essex Ontario Health Team. The model brings clinical staff, outreach workers and social-service providers together under one coordinated system, creating a single point of referral for vulnerable residents.
Available services include mental health supports, primary medical care, addictions treatments, peer-support groups, food and nutrition supports, a safe living environment with beds, and assistance connecting to longer-term supportive housing. Provincial officials say the hubs are designed to give people timely access to wrap-around care, while reducing pressure on emergency departments, police services and municipal shelter systems.
The Windsor hub is the latest milestone in Ontario’s broader effort to expand mental-health and addictions capacity under Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and the province’s Roadmap to Wellness. The government says the hubs will help communities respond more effectively to rising demand for addiction treatment and to the growing impacts of homelessness.
Local representatives say the launch is already making a visible difference.
“The early success of Windsor’s HART Hub shows the real impact we can make when we invest in compassionate, specialized care for our most vulnerable residents. This progress reflects the Ontario government’s vision for bringing help and hope to those who desperately need it, and I thank all our community partners for believing in this service model that is already making a real difference here in Windsor.”
— Andrew Dowie, MPP, Windsor—Tecumseh
Others emphasized the importance of shifting the focus from harm reduction to long-term recovery services.
“The Homelessness and Addiction Recovery and Treatment hub in Windsor is a place where people seeking to get back on the road to recovery. Rather than getting needles, people can get treatment, counselling and a temporary place to stay if they are experiencing homelessness. The HART hub is a place where you can get your life back.”
— Anthony Leardi, MPP, Essex
Municipal leaders also welcomed the announcement, calling the hub an important addition to local social-service infrastructure.
“The City of Windsor thanks Premier Doug Ford, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Vijay Thanigasalam, MPP Andrew Dowie, and the province for their unwavering support, continuous investment, compassion, common sense, and steadfast commitment to our community. The Windsor Hart Hub will support vulnerable residents by helping them meet their basic needs, while providing key access to supports around shelter services, housing, mental health, primary care, substance use, addiction, and more. Through this innovative program, the Government of Ontario is addressing complex and overlapping challenges that threaten growth and sustainability across the province. With this program roll-out in our region, combined with recent Council investments to enhance and expand Windsor’s temporary Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4), the province continues to stand in lockstep with the City and community partners like Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare to build a safer, healthier Windsor for all.”
— Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor
Service providers involved in the project say the integrated model is already strengthening collaboration and improving access.
“The HART Hub at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare represents a major step forward in how our community supports individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction. It’s a testament to what’s possible when partners come together with compassion and shared purpose. We extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health for their continued support in bringing this collaborative initiative to life.”
— Bill Marra, President and CEO, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare
“The HART Hub reflects our shared commitment to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Together, we are able to respond more holistically to the complex and unique needs of individuals, who are homeless and impacted by addictions and mental health challenges, in a safe and supportive environment. We value the strong partnership of our co-leads and appreciate the support of the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health throughout this journey.”
— Karen Waddell, Executive Director, House of Sophrosyne
“With the support of the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, our agencies are able to combine our expertise to provide coordinated outreach and primary care services that meet individuals where they are. This collaboration enhances access to essential medical care, treatment, housing supports and wrap-around services for people experiencing homelessness and addiction. Together, we are strengthening pathways to stability, recovery and meaningful connection within our community.”
— Nancy Brockenshire, Executive Director, Windsor Essex Community Health Centre
Provincial commitments
The province reports that nine Consumption and Treatment Services sites transitioned into HART Hubs as of April 1, 2025, and more hubs are opening throughout the year. The program will add nearly 900 supportive-housing units — more than 300 above initial estimates — and includes two Indigenous-led hubs in Kenora and Sault Ste. Marie/Blind River/Sagamok.
Ontario continues to invest in mental-health and addictions supports, including $3.8 billion over 10 years through the Roadmap to Wellness and $303 million over three years for community-led programs under Budget 2025.
