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New residential addictions treatment facility planned in Hamilton following closure of safe drug use site
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A new residential addictions treatment program will open in Hamilton after the province closed the city's only safe drug use site early this year.
The program will be located at 276 Aberdeen Ave. and be run by the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre (often called Urban Core) to support people "facing substance use challenges," it said in a statement posted to instagram on Wednesday. Residents won't be allowed to smoke or consume alcohol or non-prescription drugs.
Details are scarce about how many beds will be available, when it will open, and how and if nearby residents and elected officials will be consulted and informed.
It's executive director Sandy Ezepue did not respond to requests for comment.
Coun. Maureen Wilson, who represents the ward it will be in, said she originally learned of the plan from city staff in the spring and initiated a meeting with Urban Core.
Neither Urban Core nor the province has held a public information session, but flyers were handed out at a local street festival, taking residents by surprise and raising more questions than answers, Wilson told CBC Hamilton.
"Some have questions, some have concerns and some have both and I think that's perfectly normal and understandable," she said. "I understand why they would be unhappy because there was no direct engagement."
Urban Core had run the safe drug use site up until it closed in March, which allowed people to bring drugs to use in a supervised environment to prevent overdose deaths. The Ford government then selected Urban Core to run a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub to offer a range of other services.
Among them will be the residential treatment program, said Urban Core.
When asked for more information, the Ministry of Health directed CBC Hamilton to its Hart hub website and said it opened "as planned" on April 1.
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Hamilton Centre NDP MPP Dr. Robin Lennox said in an interview that while the hub may have opened then, it's still not fully operational. She said Urban Core is currently offering mental health and addictions counselling, case management, cultural programming, identification support, laundry services, meals and nursing staff from its Cannon Street location.
The services aren't that different from what the community health centre offered before the HART hub opened, said Lennox, who got an update from Urban Core last week. She's also a family doctor who specializes in substance use care.
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"We really want to see a [provincial] opioid strategy that saves lives and allows people to access services they need when they need it," Lennox said. "For the HART hubs to do that, they really need to be adequately funded, rolled out transparently with good community consultation so people feel comfortable with the services, and we need to be able to measure their outcomes."
The impacts of closing Hamilton's safe drug use site can already be seen reflected in overdose numbers from this summer, Lennox said.
In March, when the site was still open, paramedics responded to 39 suspected opioid overdoses, according to city data.
In April, once the site was closed, that number increased to 66 incidents. In July, paramedics responded to 134 suspected overdoses — the highest number since at least 2017, when the data recording started.
24/7 staffing planned
Lennox has advocated for more safe drug sites, not less, because she said they save lives. She also supports more addiction treatment options like the program being planned by Urban Core.
"I will also root for more access to treatment for people who want it in our city," she said. "The number of treatment beds is far below the demand."
Wilson also supports the province funding more housing and health services, noting the "lack of investment" is clear across Hamilton, particularly the lower city.
"My job is not to take a position on whether this is the right model," Wilson said. "My job is to ensure the neighbours get the answers to the questions they have."
Urban Core said in its statement it recognizes the importance of "open and proactive communication" and will be attending events, knocking on doors and hosting an open house.
The Aberdeen location will have staff on site round the clock, including security guards, nurses, treatment counselors, coaches, physicians and nurse practitioners, Urban Core said. It is working to get all zoning and building permits and Ministry of Health approvals needed to operate.
The City of Hamilton said neither planning nor building division have received anything related to the address.
