Council approves Integrated Care Hub funding and receives update on Consumption and Treatment Services site closure plan

By Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist and Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Council approved $500,000 to support shelter operations at the Integrated Care Hub and future HART Hub through March of next year. Council also approved up to $70,000 to help cover lease and facility costs associated with the closure of Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) at 661 Montreal Street. CTS is set to close on Sept. 30 as provincial funding comes to an end.

In the same meeting, Council received an update on the City’s multi-part response to the closure approved in May.

As part of that update, staff reported that the closure of CTS is not expected to affect the 24 low-barrier shelter beds funded by the City currently operating at the Integrated Care Hub. Those beds will continue under the future HART Hub model, supported by the funding approved Tuesday.

Council also heard the results of a legal assessment examining whether the CTS closure warranted a municipal emergency declaration. Staff concluded that an emergency declaration would be unlikely to improve the situation or secure additional provincial or federal support.

One area that drew debate involved the planned $350,000 pilot project fund intended to support new community-led approaches to addressing service gaps left by the CTS closure. Staff say the pilot project framework is still being developed, with a call for submissions expected later this summer. The goal is to have funding awarded by mid-September, ahead of the CTS closure at the end of the month.

Listen to the full story here.