BOSTON — The warmer weather is bringing the crowds back to Boston’s open-air drug market, and neighbors say it’s fanning out deeper into neighborhoods.
The concerns were addressed Tuesday evening at the June community meeting of the Working Group on Addiction, Recovery, and Homelessness.
Some South End residents said their quality of life issues are already proving to be worse this year because the activity isn’t concentrated in one place.
They believe the clearing of tents and crowds on Atkinson Street has dispersed smaller pockets of people across several surrounding communities.
Recent pictures showed people passed out on private properties and drug users huddled at area bus stops near Washington Street and Mass Ave.
“They’re not all concentrated at Mass and Cass. They’re spread throughout a 20 block radius now,” said South End neighbor Bill Mootos. “This is exactly what we feared would happen.”
Boston 25 News observed the new reality of more scattered activity firsthand while driving through parts of the South End, Roxbury, South Boston and Dorchester.
“We have a real estate market that’s booming across the state, but it’s dead right here in our neighborhood,” said John Stillwaggon with the Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association. “Neighbors on the other side of the South End are certainly disconnected from the reality of what we’re facing over here.”
The Executive Director of Boston’s Public Health Commission acknowledged the current situation and the challenges in fixing it.
“I think all of us recognize that the crowding on Mass and Cass, on the connector and into the communities has been more challenging,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu. “It’s increasing.”
Boston Police point out that arresting people blatantly using drugs isn’t a solution to the problem heading into the summer.
“Some of these individuals are medically compromised. If arrest them, we can’t get them through the booking system,” said Sgt. Peter Messina with BPD’s Street Outreach. “This is a crisis that we’ve never seen before, and there needs to be alternative options available to us that aren’t yet created.”
There are additional challenges.
Two transitional housing programs set up to shelter those kicked out of the tent encampment last year will soon be closing due to funding.
Boston’s Chief of Housing also said that two of the largest shelters, 112 and Woods Mullen, are currently seeing approximately 640 people a night.
Sheila Dillon said that the recent influx of migrants is contributing to the overflowing capacity.
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