Boston Herald
While Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s plan for addressing the humanitarian crisis at “Mass and Cass” puts people with addiction first and thus is a good start, its success will depend upon providing the right type of services. The problem won’t go away when the tents are gone, and we need to think about long-term solutions so people have a path from transitional to permanent housing with recovery supports and services.
There is not presently a shortage of shelter space, yet shelters, as currently designed, are not necessarily the right environment for everyone. People living with addiction have preferred to stay in the area of Mass and Cass, an encampment near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard on the border of Roxbury and the South End, rather than go to the shelters that are available for a number of valid reasons. They may fear for their personal safety, confiscation of their property and the potential of going into withdrawal without medical management.
What we ultimately need is an adequate number of low threshold, transitional housing sites — evidence-based, clinically appropriate and specifically designed for this population — that are integrated with recovery support services and access to medical and behavioral health care. The city and state have several options in the pipeline, and they can’t come soon enough.
The current crisis is fair to no one: People in the throes of addiction are deprived of the chance of recovery while neighbors must tolerate the squalor and its impact on their businesses and homes. Without prompt action, the areas adjacent to Mass and Cass will suffer from disinvestment and decay. If the mayor’s plan does not succeed, businesses and nonprofits there will tire of spending millions on security to ensure the safety of their property and employees.
While Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s plan for addressing the humanitarian crisis at “Mass and Cass” puts people with addiction first and thus is a good start, its success will depend upon providing the right type of services. The problem won’t go away when the tents are gone, and we need to think about long-term solutions so people have a path from transitional to permanent housing with recovery supports and services.
There is not presently a shortage of shelter space, yet shelters, as currently designed, are not necessarily the right environment for everyone. People living with addiction have preferred to stay in the area of Mass and Cass, an encampment near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard on the border of Roxbury and the South End, rather than go to the shelters that are available for a number of valid reasons. They may fear for their personal safety, confiscation of their property and the potential of going into withdrawal without medical management.
What we ultimately need is an adequate number of low threshold, transitional housing sites — evidence-based, clinically appropriate and specifically designed for this population — that are integrated with recovery support services and access to medical and behavioral health care. The city and state have several options in the pipeline, and they can’t come soon enough.
The current crisis is fair to no one: People in the throes of addiction are deprived of the chance of recovery while neighbors must tolerate the squalor and its impact on their businesses and homes. Without prompt action, the areas adjacent to Mass and Cass will suffer from disinvestment and decay. If the mayor’s plan does not succeed, businesses and nonprofits there will tire of spending millions on security to ensure the safety of their property and employees.