When problems persist and actually get worse, then it’s time to try something new.
On Friday, Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis officially launched the Mayor’s task force, with a motion to approve the membership expected at the next council meeting on October 6th.
It’s goal will be to tackle the issues of addiction, mental health and homelessness in Belleville.
The city provided an update earlier in the week where Ellis says the issues and challenges raised when a State of Emergency was declared in February of last year were still a problem and were actually worse now.
In that update, it also revealed that a group of individuals had requested that the city provide a plot of land for a permanent encampment. The city has refused that request. Meanwhile, new encampments are springing up and being torn down in several areas of the city.
The task force will bring together several partners including Hastings County, community groups and Belleville Police, who are also committing to an increased presence and intensifying enforcement efforts in the downtown area to address open-air drug use.
Two people were arrested with crystal meth downtown on Thursday alone.
The Task Force sends the message that the issues are being taken seriously, and while there is no easy solution, the time for action is definitely now.
Both the homeless and the community as a whole are suffering, and providing additional supports for the first group while removing drugs from the equation will bring us much closer to a solution.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
(PAUL MARTIN)
