BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Public Health Commission have announced new initiatives to expand access to substance use services and recovery supports throughout Boston, including day spaces.
This expanded access includes the establishment of two new low-threshold daytime spaces offering harm reduction services, medical and treatment referrals, access to food, water, and bathrooms, and support groups and wellness activities, according to the announcement.
The spaces will be managed by the Whittier Street Community Health Center at their Tremont Street location in Roxbury and Victory Programs Inc., the announcement said, and will add harm reduction services to the Boston Living Center located in Back Bay.
The new investments are supported by $6.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“These steps move us closer to ensuring that every person impacted by substance use is connected to city services and has a path to a safe, stable recovery,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. She said the new structures would expand the city’s approach to supporting “unsheltered individuals with substance use disorder.”
Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the BPHC and Commissioner of Public Health, said the new spaces would allow the city’s health effort to be more creative in their approaches to meeting people’s needs.
“Recovery cannot happen without comprehensive support systems and a strong community,” she said.
The BPHC said they sought organizations to support new Neighborhood Engagement Teams for up to three neighborhoods identified as high need, with eligible neighborhoods including communities like Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, and East Boston. The neighborhoods were determined by the CDC’s social vulnerability index, the number of Boston EMS responses to opioid overdoses, and the number of 311 requests related to unsheltered individuals.
Funding will also be provided to several public health programs, including Addiction Recovery Resources, The Phoenix, NamaStay Sober, and the Newmarket Business Association.
Low-threshold work programs give individuals experiencing substance use disorder the means of earning income and fostering a sense of self-efficacy, the City said.
“The most urgent issues in this City are the opioid crisis and homelessness,” Councilor Erin Murphy said. “These organizations build a pipeline to a community rooted in inclusivity and connection for those in recovery.”
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