BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Michelle Wu is now sounding the alarm about the situation in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, or Mass and Cass, and said it’s reaching a breaking point.
“With additional drug activity, human trafficking and violence, the number of emergency calls have gone up significantly,” Wu said Wednesday. “The workers who’ve been out there day after day after day, are not feeling comfortable and like they can safely be there anymore.”
For years, homeless people have flocked to the troubled area around Mass and Cass near where the South End and Roxbury neighborhoods meet. It’s also been a hub for drug dealing and for those with opioid-use disorder.
“As always, we’re looking to connect people with housing, services, and supports, but we also know many of the people at Mass and Cass during the day do have housing. We continue to engage regularly with everyone to understand what their needs are,” Wu said.
The mayor said she’s worked to secure housing and treatment for hundreds of people. At one point, the city even cleared away all of the tents, which did not last long. Wu is now looking for a longer-term solution of reopening an opioid recovery facility on Boston’s Long Island. The bridge to it needs to be rebuilt.
“As we get closer and closer to the Long Island bridge being permitted, as we round out the last few steps in that process, we are going to be full steam ahead in reactivating Long Island.”
The mayor said the reopening of that facility is at least four years away.
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