Local News

Boston Aims To Move Residents From Mass and Cass Homeless Camp By Jan. 12

December 15, 2021 / 7:07 PM EST / CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Boston's mayor has announced a plan to move people living in a homeless camp off the streets and into housing by Jan. 12.

Mayor Michelle Wu said Wednesday that residents of the encampment will be connected with services and housing before the tents are removed from the site.

Wu temporarily halted cleanup of the sprawling camp last month on her first day in office. The location near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard has come to represent the city's struggle with homelessness and the opioid crisis.

Residents at the site will be offered medical services, substance abuse help and any other assistance they need, Wu said. The city will use a mix of temporary housing sites and shelters to house individuals.

"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," she said in a statement.

The plan received support from at least two organizations in Massachusetts -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts and RIZE Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization focused on ending the opioid crisis.

"The ACLU of Massachusetts welcomes Mayor Wu's proposed public health-oriented approach to address the intersecting crises people are experiencing in the Mass and Cass area. We are heartened to hear that steps are underway to create viable housing options, and we will be monitoring actions on the ground to ensure proposed placements accommodate disability and other health needs," the ACLU of Massachusetts said in a prepared statement.

"The plan for evidence-based, clinically-appropriate housing combined with comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder treatment services in diffuse locations is the right approach," Julie Burns, President and CEO of RIZE Massachusetts, said in a prepared statement.