Sarnia-area addictions, mental health supports get boost

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People who leave Ryan’s House while recovering from substance dependency sometimes don’t know where they’re going next, Bluewater Health’s chief executive says.

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“We have people we’re discharging to no fixed address,” said Paula Reaume-Zimmer.

So having a safe place with supports for people still trying not to fall back into old habits is monumental, she said, amid Monday’s announcement of about $6.3 million in provincial funding a year for three years for more housing supports, resources, and 30 longer-term recovery beds in the community.

Those 30 beds, at a site not in hospital that’s still to be determined, will help people moving on from Ryan’s House – a 12-bed stabilization facility for people seeking help with addictions – with addiction recovery supports for up to 18 months, Reaume-Zimmer said.

“We’re starting to build a system,” she said. “That’s a great place to land when we can start connecting dots and have a system of care.”

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Sarnia-Lambton’s was one of 18 new homelessness and addiction recovery treatment (HART) hubs announced Monday.

About 26 supportive housing units through Lambton County of Lambton and Canadian Mental Health Association Lambton-Kent are also part of the model, officials said.

The hub will be located at the local CMHA offices at 210 Lochiel St. in Sarnia, an agency spokesperson said. CMHA is the lead agency in the collaborative approach that includes Bluewater Health, the county, North Lambton Community Health Centre and others.

By bringing gencies together, the HART Hub can “serve as a beacon of hope, providing a centralized location where individuals can easily access a range of services tailored to their unique needs,” said Rhonny Doxtator, CMHA Lambton-Kent’s chief executive.

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Money also will go to expand the MobileCare bus service from three days a week to five, she said. The bus delivers primary care, addiction and mental health services to locations across the county.

The system, expected to start April 1, is ambitious but doable, Doxtator said.  said. “A lot of these initiatives are already underway.”

About half the supportive housing units will go to CMHA’s existing supportive housing program for people needing help with mental health, she said.

The rest will be delivered via charity Indwell at Lambton County units across Sarnia-Lambton as they become available, said Valerie Colasanti, the county’s social services general manager.

Supports include budgeting, addictions management and mental health services, she said, and in the longer term, the county plans to create supportive housing projects for Indwell to manage.

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Hopes are creating more community supports will help mitigate what led to a homeless camp in Sarnia’s Rainbow Park, she said.

“There’s always going to be people coming through the doors who are experiencing homelessness,” she said. “But we’ll have more options for them.”

The average wait for a one-bedroom apartment in the county’s system is five years, and more than 320 names are on the county’s list of people experiencing homelessness, she said.

Money also go to improve supports at the county’s Housing and Homelessness Resource Centre, she said.

“We do bring in primary care and nurse practitioners to see people, but we don’t have clinic rooms set up and things . . . so this will allow for more appropriate care and a better facility.”

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Sarnia-Lambton PC MPP Bob Bailey announced the funding Monday.

“All Ontarians, including those struggling with mental health and addiction challenges, deserve convenient access to care, support, resources and treatment options,” he said.

The HART hub model is part of the province’s shift from harm-reduction to treatment and recovery.

Meanwhile, Bluewater Health’s ‘s architect continues to work with the provincial Health Ministry to finalize architectural drawings for a 24-bed addictions hub at the hospital group’s Russell Street building, Reaume-Zimmer said.

“We’re on the path,” she said. “We’re moving along that way with some progress.”

That hub would include the stabilization beds from Ryan’s House and seven interim withdrawal management beds opened at Sarnia’s hospital in 2018.

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