Mayor, Warden visit drop-in centre

Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk and Hastings County Warden Rick Phillip paid a visit to Bridge Street United Church Friday morning to take a tour of the overnight warming centre and speak with staff about how the daytime drop-in program is going.

Mayor Panciuk says they wanted to speak with volunteers about the work they have been doing.

“It’s a busy place. I think there’s a lot of people who are generous in our community. There were donations of food and clothing and one of the things I was most happy to see was the public health nurse that was on site there that works trying to help people deal with addiction and mental health issues and other things.”

During their visit, Mayor Panciuk and Warden Phillips presented certificates of appreciation to Bobbi-Jo Kelly of the John Howard Society Belleville and Steve Van De Hoef, Program Manager for Bridge Street United Church for the important work they do for the community.

A report going to Hastings County’s Community and Human Services Committee next week shows that 856 visitors have used the centre located at Bridge Street United Church.

Recent averages show about 67 people visiting the centre nightly with about 45 stayed all night long.