Belleville

Belleville is a mid-sized city on the Bay of Quinte, a place of old brick storefronts, a slower pace than Toronto, and a community that often knows its own struggles by name. Average household income here sits around $85,000, but that number hides a lot of people living far below it, and the gap shows up fast if you're on the street. Hastings County's point-in-time count found roughly 200 people experiencing homelessness in 2021, a figure local outreach workers will tell you has only grown since. Gleaner's Food Bank and Bridge Street United Church both offer food and a warm place to sit for a while, no questions that make you feel small. Grace Inn Shelter provides emergency beds when the cold turns dangerous, and it's worth checking in with them early in the day since space fills fast. The Salvation Army here also runs meal programs and sometimes has connections to clothing or short-term help if you ask directly. You are not invisible here, and you are not alone in this — people in this city have gotten through hard winters before, and so can you.