The Downtown Mission's doors are always open to the public, but with questions about its new location piling up, officials have decided to hold a town hall to supply answers.
Town halls will be held on Monday June 17 and Tuesday June 25.
Both meetings begin at 5:30 p.m. at the mission's current location on Victoria Ave. near Wyandotte St. W.
Mayor Drew Dilkens announced the sale of Windsor's Central Library Branch on Ouellette Ave. for $3.6-million in March of 2018. Since then the mission announced a $5.5-million plan to convert the 100,000-sq.ft. building into a safe-haven for those in need, with a goal of transitioning people off the streets long-term.
The sale is set to close later this month and Executive Director Ron Dunn says curious residents continue to ask, "what's next?"
"There's been a lot of questions about what we're doing and why we're doing it and when and all those things. So we thought, you know, we'll just have a town hall meeting and have people come in and ask whatever they want to ask," he says. "What we're finding is, as people get their curiosity satisfied, they're much more likely to support what we're doing and understand what we're doing."
Dunn expects to field some tough questions, but the public deserves answers.
"As long as we're asking in an arena of mutual respect, we're happy to answer those questions," he says. "So bring those questions, bring an open mind and let's do what's best for those that we're serving."