Ontario Opening Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in Niagara
January 27, 2025
Welland – The Ontario government is helping create safer communities and supporting people struggling with addiction and mental health issues by building a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in Niagara. The province is investing $18.9 million over three years – $6.3 million per year – to support the local treatment hub.
The new hub, in partnership with Gateway Residential and Community Support Services and the Regional Municipality of Niagara, is part of the province’s plan to support safer communities by investing $529 million to create a total of twenty-seven new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs across Ontario.
“On the heels of an eighty-six percent increase in provincial homelessness prevention funding for Niagara, our government is supporting our frontline service providers with strategic funding to help break the cycle of addiction,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
“This new treatment hub for Niagara will connect more people to the treatment and support they need, when they need it, while continuing to build safer communities.”
MPP Oosterhoff was joined at the funding announcement today at Gateway Residential and Community Support Services in Welland by a number of local community leaders, including homelessness and addiction prevention advocates, Margaret Beaupre and Shelly Mousseau, as well as Jim Bradley, Chair of the Regional Municipality of Niagara; Mat Siscoe, Mayor of the City of St. Catharines; Bill Steele, Mayor of the City of Port Colborne, and Adam Moote, Deputy Mayor of the City of Welland.
“We are deeply honoured to lead the establishment of a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in our region,” said Margaret Beaupre, Executive Director of Gateway Residential and Community Support Services.
“This initiative represents a significant step forward in addressing the urgent needs of our community’s most vulnerable members. Together, we will take a comprehensive approach to low-barrier services such as mental health support, addiction recovery, primary care and access to supportive housing, providing a pathway to stability and dignity for individuals facing complex challenges. At Gateway Residential and Community Support Services, we are committed to fostering collaboration among local partners to create a treatment hub that truly transforms lives and strengthens our community.”
“We are thrilled to announce that a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub has received the funding to move forward in Niagara,” said Shelly Mousseau, Program Director at Gateway Residential and Community Support Services, on behalf of a collaborative group of community organizations across the region.
“This opportunity will foster collaboration among local organizations to create space and connections to mental health, addiction, and housing support for our homeless population. Through our collective commitment to this initiative, we can drive meaningful change and provide invaluable resources to individuals in our community who need access to these services. Together, we will build a stronger, more resilient community.”
“The challenges posed by homelessness and addictions in our community are profoundly complex and solving them will require unprecedented levels of cooperation between our community partners and all levels of government,” said Jim Bradley, Chair of the Regional Municipality of Niagara.
“This new treatment hub will bring together many of the wraparound services our most vulnerable residents so desperately need, and will ultimately support them in finding and maintaining stable housing, which we know is the only true, long-term solution to ending homelessness.”
“The province’s support of a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in Niagara is an important and timely addition to the resources offered by Gateway Residential and Community Support Services,” said Bill Steel, Mayor of the City of Port Colborne.
“This new hub will help to connect residents with the treatment and recovery services they need, while allowing them to stay in their home communities, including Port Colborne.”
“The establishment of a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in Niagara is a transformative step toward addressing critical community needs, providing compassionate support and fostering lasting recovery for those most vulnerable,” said Mat Siscoe, Mayor of the City of St. Catharines.
“We thank the Ontario government for their investment in Niagara, demonstrating their commitment to building stronger, healthier communities.”
“Building this new treatment hub is a significant step forward in providing critical services and supporting those in our community struggling with addiction and mental health challenges,” said Frank Campion, Mayor of the City of Welland.
“This initiative speaks to the power of partnerships – when all levels of government and community organizations come together, we can make real, lasting change.”
As with existing hub models in Ontario that have successfully provided people with care, the Niagara treatment hub will reflect regional priorities by connecting people with complex needs to comprehensive treatment and preventative services.
“Our government is helping more people get the treatment and support they need, when and where they need it, by taking the next step to improve access to mental health and addictions services,” said Hon. Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.
“Our investment to create a total of twenty-seven new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs will keep communities safe and ensure timely and comprehensive access to mental health support, addiction care, primary care, supportive housing, and employment services, no matter where you live.”
The new hub location in Niagara was chosen as a result of a provincewide call for proposals last summer. All treatment hubs will have the goal of being operational by April 1, 2025.
“We are investing more than any government in Ontario’s history to create a nation-leading system of mental health and addictions care,” said Hon. Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
“The new treatment hubs will give people struggling with addiction the support and treatment services they need to achieve lasting recovery.”
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care and building on the Roadmap to Wellness, the province is taking action to connect individuals to integrated mental health and addictions services, where and when they need it.