Issues surrounding the homeless population were on the forefront during Tuesday’s town hall meeting at the Belleville Police Station.
Police Chief Mike Callaghan, along with members of the Belleville Police Services Board, took questions from a group of local residents about the state of policing in the community and offered feedback.
One topic that came up several times throughout the meeting was interactions with the local homeless population and crimes involving them. It was revealed by police that they estimate between 200 and 250 people in the Belleville community are experiencing homelessness.
Some of these homeless people have frequent encounters with police, and Chief Callaghan notes that struggles with mental health and addiction are often a factor in these encounters. Chief Callaghan said he’s taking steps to have an addictions support and detox centre established in the community to help address the needs of the homeless population, rather than simply tossing them in a cell repeatedly.
“It’s really a community approach to this because if just one agency tries to secure a detox centre, it’s not going to address the concerns of the entire community,” said Chief Callaghan. “This is a collaborative approach. We want to ensure that not only do we have all the stakeholders at the table, but that this program is going to address the needs of our unique community.”
Chief Callaghan says that he is working with other local stakeholders to get the detox centre established. Some of the stakeholders he’s working with include local social services providers, Hastings County, Bridge Street United Church, and Canadian Addictions and Mental Health.
The detox centre is intended to work alongside the homeless resource centre being established at the former banquet hall on Alhambra court.
