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BOSTON - Wednesday,
December 15, 2021 - Today, Mayor Michelle Wu and senior advisors announced
an updated timeline and key steps to transform the area around Mass. Ave.
and Melnea Cass Boulevard with a citywide plan to connect residents
experiencing homelessness and substance use with needed housing and
services. Following a December survey of all individuals living in tents in
the area to identify housing and medical needs, the city set a deadline of
January 12th to connect those unsheltered individuals with appropriate
services and will ensure the area remains clear of encampments following
that date.
The City’s emergency
response goals are to help individuals experiencing homelessness, mental
health issues and substance use disorders transition from living in unsafe
encampments to living indoors in a safe and supportive environment while
receiving medical care; and to promote safety in the area surrounding Mass
Ave and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
Dozens of
low-threshold supportive housing placements are currently available or
slated to come online within weeks, including at:
·
The
EnVision Hotel, a 41-bed
low-threshold, congregate transitional housing program operated by Victory
Programs serving as an intermediate step between homelessness and permanent
housing;
·
Shattuck
Hospital Campus will host two
temporary housing programs and one treatment program. The Cottage Community
will provide temporary, low-threshold transitional housing and wrap-around
services for up to 30 people in collaboration with the MA Executive Office
of Health and Human Services and operated by Commonwealth Care Alliance and
Eliot Human Services. Also at the Shattuck, Bay Cove Human Services will
open 17 new beds for women to provide acute substance use treatment and
connections to the next level of care. Pine Street Inn will open
low-threshold shelter beds for up to 30 men with housing case management
and medical care.
·
Roundhouse
Hotel, a temporary site
administered by Boston Medical Center that can house up to 60 individuals.
They will have 24/7 staff and case management, with stabilization services
to support recovery and transition into permanent housing. The Roundhouse
will have intensive medical offerings to help individuals address mental
health and substance use needs, as well as connect to long-term and
evidence-based treatment.
In addition to these
sites, the City will aim to lower barriers to beds at existing city-owned
shelters and explore additional low-threshold options across the city.
Mayor Wu has previously announced that her administration would aim to open
at least 200 low-threshold beds across the city.
These efforts, led
by Senior Advisor Dr. Monica Bharel, Boston Public Health Commission
Executive Director Dr. Bisola Ojikutu and Housing Chief Sheila Dillon are
based on a public health, harm reduction and equity-focused approach.
The City’s goals are
to connect residents with supportive housing and remove encampments from
the neighborhood. Any tents that remain after January 12th will be
responded to with the City’s existing encampment protocol, carried out by the Boston Public Health
Commission, Boston Police Department, Inspectional Services Department, and
Department of Public Works, including notice and storage of belongings. The
City will maintain an ongoing presence, including outreach and street
cleaning so that further encampments do not develop.
“With these actions,
our goal is to bring residents out of the cold and into supportive housing,
to change the status quo in this area and citywide,” said Mayor Michelle
Wu. “Our team is taking every possible action to alleviate the humanitarian
crisis at Mass Ave and Melnea Cass Boulevard and keep this area clear of
encampments moving forward. I thank the cross-departmental team of public
health, housing, public safety, and public works professionals who have
rallied to put this plan into action.”
“We are working to
transform the way we care for individuals experiencing homelessnes with
substance use disorder and mental health issues through a public health and
equity lens,” said Special Advisor Dr. Monica Bharel. “This transformation will minimize the
barriers to accessing housing and treatment. To that end, we have launched
an emergent effort to bring online low threshold and transitional housing
options where individuals will have access to appropriate treatment and a
path to recovery and healing.”
“The Boston Police
Department is fully committed to partnering with our city’s public health
and housing agencies to assist the individuals living in the Mass and Cass
area with their transition to supportive housing and to keeping this area clear
of encampments moving forward,” said Acting Commissioner Gregory Long. “I
thank the officers that work in the Mass and Cass area for their
ongoing efforts to ensure that individuals suffering from substance use
disorder and mental health challenges have access to the safe housing and
services they need.”
“The situation at
Mass and Cass is a public health and humanitarian crisis that encompasses
chronic homelessness, mental health, and substance use disorders. That’s
why we’re taking a public health-oriented approach to respond to this
crisis. We are working every day to address the barriers faced by each
person living in these encampments and to connect them with the medical
care, substance use treatment and housing that they need,” said Dr. Bisola
Ojikutu.
"The Public
Works Department continues to utilize every resource at our disposal to
keep the streets and sidewalks around Mass Ave. and Melnea Cass Boulevard
clean and sanitary," stated Public Works Superintendent of Streets,
Mike Brohel. "As the City of Boston takes a more comprehensive approach
to transform the area, we look forward to working in partnership with our
fellow city agencies, community groups and business owners to deliver
essential city services that assist our most vulnerable populations."
“The City, working
with many area non-profit organizations, will continue to work with
individuals living on the street to secure them safe and supportive
low-threshold shelter and housing,” said Sheila Dillon, Chief of Housing.
“These placements will allow individuals to receive and accept the services
they need to stabilize their lives and plan for the future. The City
will work on strengthening the connections and coordination between
treatment and housing as it continues to address this issue.”
Every day, the City
works to connect people in the Mass Ave and Melnea Cass Boulevard area to
housing, treatment, and other supports across the city and region. The
Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) Recovery Services offers services
that encompass the continuum of care including education, overdose prevention
and naloxone distribution, street outreach, day-time low-threshold spaces,
drop-in access to care services for treatment, transitional and long-term
residential programming, outpatient services, youth substance use
prevention and a peer recovery center. The Recovery Services Street
Outreach team serves an average of 300 people daily through the Engagement
Center and street outreach routes in the area of Mass Ave and Melnea Cass
Boulevard. Every day, they place an average of 10 people in residential
treatment programs across the state and respond to around 5 overdoses. BPHC
Homeless Services also oversees a variety of programs that address complex
needs associated with homelessness, such as emergency shelter, health and
behavioral health services, job readiness and training, substance use
treatment, recovery support, and housing services.
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