Bridgewater’s Mayor is addressing concerns from residents surrounding a relatively new drop-in clinic for the homeless in the town’s downtown core.

The drop-in centre called Cedar House is located on the corner of King Street and Dominion Street and is run by the John Howard Society. It began operating earlier this year.

They offer a variety of services to homeless individuals Monday to Friday including offering food, providing laundry facilities as well as counselling services.

However, since they’ve opened there has been an increase in police activity in the area.

In a post on social media Bridgewater Mayor David Mitchell addressed the increase in police activity while also asking residents to be understanding.

“Building relationships with those in need of help is crucial from our police perspective,” Mitchell’s post stated.

He emphasized the importance of not stigmatizing everyone who seeks help from the local support center amidst a rise in police visits to the area.

“We need to be able to work with the John Howard Society, Department of Community Services, police resources, to be able to separate what is an addiction and mental health issue from those who are there for criminal activity.”

Mitchell also said the town recently had a productive meeting with representatives from the Bridgewater Police Service (BPS) and the John Howard Society to improve the situation.

He says going forward BPS will continue to handle any illegal activities reported, however, he emphasized that organizations like the John Howard Society are very much needed on the South Shore.