Downtown Belleville’s Welcoming Streets Program is continuing thanks to a funding boost from Hastings County.
The Downtown Belleville Business Improvement Area launched the initiative last June and since then, Welcoming Streets Steward, Sara Behring has been assisting vulnerable individuals in the area, engaging in approximately 300 unique situations downtown.
That includes fostering relationships with over 60 individuals to assist them in connecting to local social services.
Behring says she’s also assisted businesses in a way that has led to more positive interactions toward
individuals who may be seeking assistance.
Hastings County Warden Rick Phillips says the program helps ensure that the downtown core is safe and inclusive for all businesses, visitors, and vulnerable people in need of assistance.
The program, modelled after the Guelph BIA’s Welcoming Streets Initiative, has also been adopted in Oshawa and Brampton.
