HomeLocal NewsCouncil ties Integrated Care Hub funding to community safety

Council ties Integrated Care Hub funding to community safety

Kingston City Council voted 12-1 on Tuesday in favour of a motion to reopen the Integrated Care Hub (ICH), but it will have to come along with a detailed security and safety plan.

The motion was presented by Greg Ridge, councillor for King’s Town in which the ICH is located, and while it acknowledges the lifesaving care the Hub has provided since 2020 it calls for increased community and partner consultation and more extensive data to be collected on the ICH’s impact on the area.

Ridge said the motion isn’t meant to punish the staff and clients of the ICH, it’s about improving transparency, accountability, and security.

“We need to recognize that what has been going on there is insufficient, and it needs to be improved, and there needs to be a plan and an implementation schedule for that,” Ridge said.

“We have to recognize that these services are essential, that they save lives, we also have to recognize that there has been a negative impact on the community there… The only way that we as a municipality can make a difference is to recognize that both of these realities are true, and to move forward in a way that works for everyone.”

Last week the ICH released a statement responding to the motion, and expressed optimism that their operations could line up with what council is calling for.

“Recognizing that the ICH is just one piece of a broader system supporting a safe community, and, that collectively, we are facing the most difficult social problems of our time, our focus is on working with our community to support the most vulnerable,” the statement reads.

“Many of the recommendations included in the council motion align with our planning, specifically, collaboration and safety. These have been key priorities for the ICH partners and remain guiding principles that drive our reopening, service design and delivery.”

The City of Kingston contributes $500,000 on a yearly basis to help support the ICH’s operation, while the remaining roughly $2.5 million comes from the province.

That funding will now be conditional on factors like the creation community safety plan and a consultation group.

The reopening of the Hub, however, is a decision that will ultimately be up to the province.

As of Thursday, The Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site was permitted to reopen.

The ICH released another statement on Wednesday announcing that the CTS would reopen, emphasizing the importance of this service in particular.

“The CTS component provides essential life-saving and life-changing services for individuals who use substances,” the statement reads.

“These evidence-based services, which include consumption and post-consumption care in accordance with Ministry of Health policies, as well as primary care services are not only proven to reduce harm, but also improve health outcomes.”

Other services like counselling, meals and showers, and drug poisoning prevention are still on hold for the time being.

Owen Fullerton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Owen Fullerton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporterhttp://ygknews.ca
Born and raised in Whitby, Ontario, Owen has been living in Kingston for about three years after starting the band Willy Nilly. Prior to that he worked at CKLB radio in Yellowknife and completed studies in Niagara College's Broadcasting program.

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