The Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, Toronto Mental Health & Addictions Supportive Housing Network, and the Toronto Shelter Network condemn the provincial decision to significantly cut supervised consumption services across Ontario. This move disregards evidence and expert advice, and was done without consultations with those directly involved in these crucial services.
Supervised consumption sites are proven to reduce overdose deaths, lower the transmission of bloodborne diseases, and connect individuals to essential health and social services. These sites are integral to harm reduction strategies, which prioritize community health and safety.
While we support the establishment of HART Hubs, we emphasize that these hubs must include evidence-based harm reduction tools, such as supervised consumption supports and needle exchange programs, to be effective. Without these components, the risk of overdose and negative impacts on health resources will increase.
The recent decision undermines evidence-based healthcare and perpetuates harmful stigma. Research shows that safe consumption services reduce drug-related deaths by 67% in their neighborhoods and have never been linked to increased crime rates.
Closing these sites will jeopardize community safety and escalate costs for emergency services. We urge the provincial government to reconsider and collaborate with experts to ensure that HART Hubs offer comprehensive, evidence-informed healthcare services.
The Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness (TAEH) is a community-based collective impact initiative that recognizes the critical importance of working in a new way towards our common vision of a Toronto where homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring.
Our Vision
Homelessness in Toronto is rare, brief and non-recurring.
Our Mission
To mobilize the collective impact necessary to effect change in Toronto to achieve and maintain zero homelessness. We believe homelessness is not acceptable and that we can end it.
General inquiries: taeh@taeh.ca
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