The Brockville Police Service (BPS) and community partners are excited to announce the renovation project is underway for the Community Hub Project; a collaborative new project that aims to increase the safety and wellbeing of the neighbourhood by improving coordination and access to services.
Ontario is host to many Community Hubs that have seen remarkable success. As a result of the hub model, communities have noted a decrease in crime, violence, and vandalisms, while seeing an increase in employment, graduation rates, school attendance, and neighbourhood pride. Though each hub is unique, the cornerstone of a Community Hub is that it acts as a central access point for a range of needed health and social services, along with cultural, recreational and green spaces to enrich community life.
The Brockville Community Hub will be located in a community-housing neighbourhood at 10-280 Bartholomew Street in a town-home unit. Renovations began November 23rd and the Hub aims to open it’s doors early in 2016. The Hub will offer a warm, welcoming, and positive environment for tenants to access supports and services, meet one another, plan, build and grow together. The use of the centre extends to the whole neighbourhood and seeks to reach the Glengarry, Hastings, 12 Central Avenue and the surrounding area.
Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our community cannot be achieved by one agency or sector alone. Community safety and wellbeing ought to be a shared responsibility including, but not limited to, community members, political leaders, the police, community organizations, healthcare providers, social services, victim services, education, housing and private enterprise. The Brockville Community Hub Project has over 30 community partners across a wide range of sectors that will be key to the success of the hub.
The BPS does not have a budget for this project, thus the project is financially dependent on grants and donations from the private and business sector. The unit is owned by the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, who have kindly agreed to a three year rent-free lease with the BPS. David Beatty, CEO of Canarm, has generously offered to match all donations in order to raise the required amount for the renovation project and the first three years of operating costs. If you would like more information or would like to make a donation to the project, please contact: Constable Mark Heffernan at (613) 342-0127 ext. 4228 or by email at mheffernan@jgr8poxkdf.wpdns.site or Kristina Hubert, Community Hub Coordinator at (613) 340-7597 or by email at kristinadhubert@gmail.com. Cheques can be made payable to, “Fresh Winds Community Residence Inc.” and sent to: Brockville Police Service, 2269 Parkedale Avenue, Brockville, ON K6V 3G9.
The support and excitement from the community surrounding the Community Hub project has been overwhelmingly positive and community partners are eager to begin programing when the time comes. In the meantime, children’s programing has already begun on Thursdays and Saturdays in the basketball court and green space of the Bartholomew complex. The Community Hub Project’s belief is that by working together, we can build a safer and healthier community.
*Note: Constable Heffernan and Kristina Hubert will be at 10-280 Bartholomew St on Monday December 14th, 2015 at 2:30pm. We would love to see you there to answer all our questions.