BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is set to give an update Thursday morning on the city’s efforts to address the homelessness and substance use issues after city officials cleaned the area near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, or Mass and Cass, the day before.
“We need to do more, we are in a better place than a year ago when there were very intense encampments and dangerous fires and cold weather and folks living in fortified structures,” Wu said Wednesday.
Wednesday’s cleanup came 10 months after the city rolled out a surge of resources in the area. Although Wu and Boston Police said the city continues to remove tents every day, Wu said there’s a lot of demand.
“The goal is to de-densify the area and the large crowds are not healthy for residents who are seeking services and treatment here in such a chaotic setting,” said Wu, not clarifying what “de-densify” meant.
The area can be dangerous; Boston EMS said they were responding to a person shot in Roxbury Wednesday night when a rock was thrown at a supervisor’s SUV around Mass and Cass, causing damage to the windshield.
People who work at businesses nearby said not much has changed.
“I put camera systems in so they can see outside before they walk across the street, I won’t let my wife walk outside; I walk her all the way to the car,” said Gerry DiPierro, owner of DiPierro Construction.
Wu said they need more help from the state to make any changes.
“We have not been able to meet the demand and more and more need is growing so we’ll continue to fight for that partnership and funding so we can do this work right,” Wu said.
Wu is set to provide an update at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
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