With only two days remaining until her self-imposed deadline, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appeared before the media Monday to share an update on the effort to clear the tent encampments around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. The area, which has long been seen as a public safety hazard, is populated by approximately 145 people who are homeless and have a history of substance use, and some of whom have mental disorders.
Here are three key things to know about the situation in the area known as Mass. and Cass:
The city is on track to have people housed by Jan. 12.
Wu pledged to have Mass. and Cass free of tents by Wednesday, Jan. 12, and its residents in low threshold supportive housing — places where they can sleep as well as find support services for mental health and substance use disorders.
On Monday, Wu said about 80 people have already moved from tents into one of several housing locations within the city. Another 60 or so, Wu said, are scheduled to move into newly available spaces within the next few days.
The physical removal of tents, Wu said, will likely come later.
"The efforts to remove the encampments, some of which are very large, fortified structures, will take more than one day, but these efforts begin in earnest on Wednesday," Wu noted, tempering expectations for completely cleared streets.
The mayor said the city will brainstorm medium- and long-term plans, switching strategic gears from searching for housing to figuring out how to channel relocated individuals into appropriate substance abuse recovery and mental health services.
Wu has downplayed police involvement. That's changing.
Wu appeared for the first time alongside police leaders, marking a shift in how Boston will treat new attempts to pitch tents on city streets.
"The Boston Police Department will ensure a safe environment for residents, businesses and individuals accessing care," Wu said standing alongside members of the force and the core of the Mass. and Cass cabinet team.
"On Wednesday, the city will continue efforts to connect individuals with housing, take down the tents that are left behind and no longer needed, and begin clearing the street," Wu said, describing the days after Jan. 12 when tents should all be empty.
Asked whether arrests will begin Wednesday, Wu said while the city is "looking to avoid criminalizing any part," of the Mass. and Cass clearance process. "Boston police will continue to provide support, ensuring that it's a safe environment for all," she said.
Critics caution the approach will signal a city sanction of substance use.
Dorchester City Councilor Frank Baker, among others, has been outspoken against the mayor's plan to move those in the encampments into housing without clear occupancy timelines and individual treatment plans established.
"Fundamentally, I'm thinking differently about this situation than the administration is," he told GBH News last month. "I would prefer intervention and treatment first."
Baker, whose district touches the area around Mass. and Cass, has implied the relocation is tantamount to opening supervised substance use spaces.
"All the abuses that are happening in the streets in the tents are being now moved behind closed doors," said Baker. "So, how do the behaviors that were on the street in the tents end?"
The administration has not responded to GBH News request for clarification about substance use and enforcement policies at the low threshold supportive housing locations.
