For years, Boston leaders, public health officials, and police have struggled to address a critical issue: the intertwined problems of homelessness and public drug use in the area near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
Two years after a large tent encampment was cleared, the area known as Mass and Cass continues to be a focal point for drug activity and a gathering place for those experiencing homelessness.
Residents of the South End have voiced concerns that individuals previously residing in the now-dismantled encampment have spread into surrounding neighborhoods, leading to a noticeable increase in visible substance use, drug dealing, and discarded needles.
“This is unacceptable,” said Mayor Michelle Wu in a recent interview with WBUR.
With her own children to think about, she emphasized that no parent should have to worry about their kids encountering such troubling situations while out in the community.
Wu’s chief rival for reelection, philanthropist Josh Kraft, criticized the mayor’s handling of the crisis, claiming that her administration has failed to adequately tackle the conditions in the Mass and Cass area, prompting a call for more proactive measures to direct individuals off the streets and into addiction treatment programs.
Both figures acknowledged the significant challenges posed by the national opioid crisis and rising homelessness at the local level.
Mayor Wu has articulated her administration’s plan to address these issues through collaboration with city, state, and nonprofit organizations.
In a letter to South End residents earlier this year, she detailed her commitment to using “all levers” of city government to eradicate public drug use and related criminal activities in Boston.
A crucial element of her strategy was the dismantling of the Atkinson Street tent encampment in November 2023 to tackle the escalating public health crisis caused by rampant drug use and violence in the vicinity.
By breaking up the encampment, social workers could more effectively assist those living there in accessing housing and recovery services.
Preventing the resurgence of similar encampments has also been emphasized by city officials as part of the ongoing approach to the situation.
In the year following the removal of the tents, the area around Mass and Cass saw no logged homicides, with a decrease in violent crimes such as rapes and robberies, according to a memo shared by the Wu administration with Boston City Councilors in February.
The city’s tactics continue to evolve in response to the ongoing outdoor drug use, which has spread to other areas including the South End, Downtown Boston, Roxbury, and parts of Dorchester and South Boston.
A vital component of this strategy is Boston’s Coordinated Response Team, which works to unify city agencies in enforcing laws against outdoor encampments and responding to reports of public drug use issues from residents.
Alongside the Boston Police, this team strives to connect individuals struggling with addiction to residential recovery services provided by the Boston Public Health Commission and its partner organizations.
For some individuals facing nonviolent drug-related charges, options are available through the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office that prioritize treatment over traditional punitive measures.
Recently, Wu announced a new allocation of $200,000 in grant funding to further enhance the resources of the Coordinated Response Team.
Additionally, the city has increased its police presence around Mass and Cass and other hotspots, focusing on enforcing laws related to drug offenses.
The availability of specially trained outreach officers to assist individuals dealing with mental health and substance use disorders in the Mass and Cass area has also expanded.
In contrast, Kraft argues that under Wu’s administration, issues surrounding public drug consumption, homelessness, and discarded needles have reached critical levels in various neighborhoods.
He contends that the current approach has not only failed to remedy the situation but has often exacerbated it.
Kraft’s proposal includes a more rigorous enforcement of laws against public drug use, tent camping, and other quality-of-life offenses, advocating for specialty courts designed to channel individuals into recovery programs instead of prison.
He also aims to reinstate the Community Syringe Redemption Program, which had previously incentivized safe disposal of used needles in exchange for monetary rewards and was funded through pandemic relief resources.
While funding for that program has ceased, the city’s needle collection endeavors have shifted focus.
The Boston Public Health Commission’s Mobile Sharps Team works daily to clean up needles across the city, while another initiative involves hiring individuals in recovery to assist with street cleaning and syringe collection.
However, Kraft has amplified his calls for increased needle cleanup efforts, particularly following a distressing incident where a 4-year-old child suffered an injury from a discarded needle at a South Boston park.
Kraft expressed that it is unacceptable for children and their families to endure such experiences.
Additionally, Kraft has proposed the establishment of a dedicated recovery campus within or near Boston to provide housing and support services, addressing the gap left by the closure of the Long Island shelter more than a decade ago.
The Long Island facility had previously offered shelter and social services to numerous individuals experiencing homelessness but was closed due to safety concerns about the bridge connecting it to the mainland.
The proposed recovery campus would be jointly funded and managed with state partners, reflecting Kraft’s vision for a reinvigorated state-local collaboration on public health issues that have deteriorated under Wu.
Kraft’s plan further emphasizes an increase in available shelter beds to ensure that every individual living on the streets has a place to stay, also facilitated in partnership with the state.
One neighborhood leader from the South End had suggested deploying National Guard troops to bolster the city’s response to the homelessness and drug issue at Mass and Cass but later retracted that proposal.
Mayor Wu firmly rejected the idea of a military presence in the city, asserting that it is not necessary.
When pressed about whether Kraft supports the deployment of Guard troops, a spokesperson for his campaign did not provide a direct answer, instead referencing Kraft’s policy proposals regarding Mass and Cass and his recent statements on the need for emergency measures to clear discarded needles throughout Boston.
image source from：masslive
