Another bid to expand a program supporting the homeless, and those with mental illness-addiction issues, will be made next week.
Welcoming Streets’ Steward Sara Behring has 90 people she regularly assists downtown and it’s estimated that because of her work close to 200 calls to Belleville police officers have been avoided in the past year.
Behring tells Quinte News the program is an outreach program within Belleville right now doing this type of work.
She says there are other services out there like the impact team through Belleville police services.
Behring adds that if the program doesn’t run, the 102 people they’ve connected with since starting in June 2021, will only potentially receive immediate support on the ground.
“Calls for service to Belleville police will probably increase in the downtown district so that’s obviously an issue. Any worker support that I’ve done and with people individually really just gets put on hold.”
Behring notes, “We are the only outreach program within Belleville right now doing this type of work. I can appreciate there are other services out there like the impact team through Belleville police services.”
“It’s a little different from direct outreach, but with this program we’re reducing a significant amount of calls to Belleville Police Services and supporting people on the ground by connecting them to services. Offering some basic needs but, of course, long term support too.”
Welcoming Streets has applied to appear at city council again, next Monday night, and is awaiting a reply.
