People living near the Downtown Mission, who participated in a town hall this week about ongoing problems, are now taking in everything they've heard and waiting to see what steps come next.
Ward 3 councillor Renaldo Agostino organized the meeting at City Hall, which saw a sizeable crowd come out for a robust and at times contentious discussion.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift, Jessica Amlin who lives across from the Mission says the meeting went about as well as it could have and the turnout was a positive surprise.
"A lot more people than I was expecting. I was kind of worried it was just going to be me and a couple of our neighbours kind of thing, but I was really pleased with how many people did come out to support the cause. Other than some things getting a little bit derailed here and there, I think we tried our best to steer the conversation in the right direction," she said.
Amlin says they want to see the discussion shift to overall safety in the neighbourhood and dealing with the issues impacting that, and that was one of the biggest things she wanted to get across.
"I guess to let the Mission know that these issues are happening, and between the Mission and the City of Windsor there is some responsibility that needs to be taken. Despite what some people from the Mission might say, it's not a safe neighbourhood. Myself and my neighbours don't feel like we're very safe here."
She spoke about many of the issues her and her neighbours encounter, including daily worries about having homes broken into, cars broken into, drug dealing, and similar garbage complaints to many of those who spoke on Tuesday.
Amlin says the potential for lighting and a fence being installed behind the Downtown Mission would really help things, and it's as simple a solution as they can get given how things are right now.
"The way it's set up right now there's just no controlled access to the Mission whatsoever, and I see that as a safety issue not just for residents but for Mission staff. So I think that having essentially the entire back of the building and all the access from Pelissier blocked off could definitely help," she said.
Mission Executive Director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin told CTV Windsor that it’s been difficult hearing some of the issues and complaints that have come up since they relocated their services from Victoria Avenue back in June, but added that it was nice to see there were some suggestions that came out of it.
She mentioned that it could, hopefully, expedite them getting donations and funding for a fence, lighting, or cameras that could help the neighbourhood overall not just at the Mission on their property.
Ponniah-Goulin also said staff continue to explore options for the Mission’s eventual permanent location, but they're waiting for the City of Windsor to decide where a new Homelessness and Housing Help Hub, also known as H4, will be located.
- with files from AM800's The Shift and CTV Windsor