ORANGEVILLE, Ont. — Ontario has opened a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub in Orangeville, expanding access to integrated mental health, addictions and housing-related supports in Dufferin County as part of a provincewide rollout backed by nearly $550 million in funding.
The hub is one of 28 HART Hubs the Ontario government plans to establish across the province, positioning the initiative as a central pillar of its approach to community safety and addiction recovery. The province says the network is designed to improve access to treatment and recovery services for people experiencing housing instability, mental health challenges and substance use issues, while supporting safer communities for families and children.
“Our government is delivering on its promise to build a stronger, more connected system of mental health and addictions care that better reflects the needs of communities and focuses on lasting recovery,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “The opening of this new HART Hub will ensure that those struggling with mental health and addictions challenges in Orangeville and across Dufferin County can access compassionate care and support services that prioritizes their path to recovery and strengthens community safety.”
HART Hubs are intended to connect people with a broad range of services under one coordinated model, including primary care, mental health and addictions care, social services and employment support. The government has emphasized that the hubs focus on treatment and recovery rather than harm reduction services such as supervised drug consumption or safer supply.
“HART Hubs are about meeting people where they are and connecting them to the care and supports they need,” said Vijay Thanigasalam, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “By expanding services in Dufferin County, we’re helping more individuals access treatment and recovery closer to home, while strengthening partnerships that make a real difference in communities.”
The Orangeville HART Hub is operated by Services and Housing In the Province (SHIP) and is now operational, delivering services through what the province described as a collaborative network of clinical and social service providers. The model is intended to reduce barriers to care by coordinating access across multiple supports, including health services, housing stabilization and basic needs assistance.
According to the province, services available through the hub and its partner network include primary care, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and counselling, addictions services, case management supports for employment and for mental health and addictions care, food and hygiene products, transitional beds and supportive housing services.
The opening is also tied to Ontario’s broader health system planning, including Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and the Roadmap to Wellness, which aims to improve access to mental health and addictions services across the province.
The Dufferin hub is expected to expand further in 2026. The province said a satellite site in Shelburne is set to launch in winter 2026, with a mobile clinic planned for spring 2026 to improve access to care in additional areas of need.
Ontario also highlighted the hub’s local partnerships, noting that services are being delivered in collaboration with a wide range of organizations and agencies. Those partners include the Salvation Army, Public Health Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, Orangeville Foodbank, Family Transition Place, OPP, Dufferin County, Community Living Dufferin, Headwaters Health Care Centre, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Peel Dufferin, Dufferin Area Family Health Team, Peel Addiction Assessment and Referral Centre, Choices Shelter and Support Services, Dufferin Child & Family Services and the Hills of Headwaters Ontario Health Team.
For local government leaders, the hub is being positioned as a practical step toward improving service coordination and helping residents access supports without leaving the region.
“Dufferin County is committed to working with our partners like SHIP, other local agencies and the Province of Ontario to ensure those most vulnerable in our community have access to the essential services that they need, when they need them. The new HART Hub will provide local access to mental health, addiction and housing supports so that our community members get the care they need, right here in Dufferin. We are grateful to the Province for this investment and look forward to continuing to work together to address housing instability, quality care and community safety in Dufferin County.”
- Lisa Post
Warden, Dufferin County
SHIP said the hub is intended to deliver a more integrated approach to care for residents facing overlapping challenges tied to housing, mental health and substance use.
“As the operator of the HART Hub in Dufferin, SHIP is proud to work alongside community and health system partners to deliver integrated, compassionate, and recovery focused supports for individuals experiencing mental health challenges, addiction and housing instability. The HART Hub represents a fundamentally different approach that meets people where they are, connects them to coordinated care, and supports pathways to stability and long term housing, while advancing the core priorities of Dufferin’s safety and well being plan. SHIP is grateful for the Province’s leadership and investment and looks forward to continuing this important work in Orangeville, Shelburne and across Dufferin County.”
- Susan Doyle
CEO, Services and Housing in the Province (SHIP)
The province said the HART model is expanding from earlier service transitions, noting that as of April 1, 2025, nine Consumption and Treatment Services sites transitioned to HART Hubs to provide expanded recovery and treatment services.
Ontario’s HART strategy also includes supportive housing expansion. The province said the hubs will add close to 900 supportive housing units across Ontario — more than 300 above the original plan — aimed at helping people transition into stable long-term housing.
Ontario has framed the initiative as part of a longer-term mental health and addictions investment strategy, citing $3.8 billion over 10 years through the Roadmap to Wellness, along with a further $303 million over three years in Budget 2025 to support community-led mental health programs.
