Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis, joined by Police Chief Mike Callaghan and other city staff, held a press conference Monday morning regarding the ongoing overdose crisis.
Belleville officially declared a state of emergency on Thursday after Tuesday’s rapid fire string of overdoses, concentrated in the area of Bridge and Church streets. Since then, the total of number of overdose victims has risen to 35, with 20 requiring hospitalization.
From Friday to Monday morning, Belleville Fire Department reports 48% of their calls involved the homeless. This is not just overdoses, but also involves small fires and other calls.
People suffering homelessness gather on the sidewalk outside Bridge Street United Church. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News
Mayor Ellis said that the city has already invested $20,000,000 into homeless supports outside the normal services the city is responsible for.
“Unfortunately, our efforts are not having the intended effect and are clearly not enough,” said Mayor Ellis. “Our city’s local businesses, residents and most importantly, the vulnerable population need more.”
Belleville has now officially requested funding and support from the provincial government, with two specific projects that need funding to address the ongoing addictions problem in the community.
The first of the two projects is “The Bridge”, a combined homelessness, addictions and mental health resource centre. The project to establish the centre was already underway before the emergency was declared, with the city investing $2 million into purchasing the former banquet hall on Alhambra Place and renovating the property.
Mayor Ellis says that with a provincial contribution matching the city’s $2 million, they could have The Bridge up and running in the fall or winter of this year.
“Right now it is imperative that we move on this quicker, we’ve seen what’s happened,” said Mayor Ellis. “The Bridge Street United Church building has outgrown itself with the the number of homeless and we need wraparound services, and this is what the hub will provide.”
While The Bridge will have many resources to help the local homeless, it does not include overnight shelter beds. Currently, the Grace Inn shelter on Church Street is the only active homeless shelter offering overnight beds in Belleville, with 21 beds. Mayor Ellis previously estimated the homeless population in the area to be 200, and Hastings County recently counted at least 155 during their winter quarter report.
The second project is a detox centre, a resource currently not available in the region that can help a person suffering from drug addictions recover in a medically supervised environment.
Police Chief Callaghan said that a detox centre is a vital resource for supporting people’s recovery and connecting them to resources that will help keep them on that path after their time in the centre.
“One of the important aspects of the detox centre is it is the foundation of a road to recovery and it will provide us an opportunity to support individuals who are suffering from mental health and addictions,” said Chief Callaghan
The Detox centre will take longer to establish, as there is no currently confirmed space for it, though several locations are being evaluated.
Police Chief Mike Callaghan addresses the media during Monday’s press conference. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News
Chief Callaghan also spoke on the state of drug enforcement in the city and progress being made to interrupt the supply of illicit drugs coming into the community. He said that despite the progress police are making on arresting dealers and stopping supply, they can’t solve the problem with law enforcement alone.
“Is it going to completely stop it? No, it isn’t. But we have to ensure that we’re moving forward on those steps,” said Chief Callaghan.
While some of the drugs in the area are produced locally, Callaghan stated that some were coming in from overseas, and suggested the federal government needed to step in with better security at ports to reduce the amount of illicit substances being smuggled in.
Police are also sending samples of all seized drugs for lab testing in Toronto. While future samples are being expedited through the lab testing system, police still have not confirmed what was in the original samples from the first wave of victims.
In addition to these major initiatives, the City of Belleville is looking at options for affordable housing development. Mayor Ellis says they have identified land suitable for affordable housing projects and are looking for private sector partners to do the construction.
Currently there is no timeline in place for how long the state of emergency is set to last, with Mayor Ellis saying their focus has been on preparing their request for the province and that the city will remain in a state of emergency as long as it takes to resolve the situation.
