Community leaders question long term Mass & Cass plan

BOSTON — The city of Boston is assuring people that the tent city that formed during the pandemic will be gone on Wednesday.

Those who are living in tents in Boston’s Mass & Cass corridor were informed of the January 12th deadline back in December.

South End and Roxbury community leaders shared their continued concerns during a virtual meeting on the eve of the deadline.

Some questioned what the city is going to do to prevent people from setting up shop in the area again in the warmer months.

There were also discussions about the potential of people fanning out into other neighborhoods.

“The frustration level for me has gone beyond anything that I’ve experienced in my job so far,” said District 3 City Councilor Frank Baker. “Until people are answering questions, I’m very suspicious of the whole thing and waiting to see what it looks like in the next couple of months.”

Dr. Monica Bharel, who’s leading the city’s response to the crisis, said outreach teams will go from tent to tent starting at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

“We will go section to section and help individuals pack their things,” explained Dr. Bharel.

Bharel said the majority of the 145 people on the streets who were identified in a December survey have been connected with housing.

She acknowledged that more people have arrived in the area since then but said tents will not be allowed anymore.

“It is so hard to take this kind of an encampment and then try and place people and clean up the area,” she added. “We never ever want to get to this point again where there are 90 plus tents.

Neighbors vocalized frustration with one of the locations where some people are being housed.

The Roundhouse Hotel is located just a block or two from where the tents have been set up.

For years, public officials have vowed to decentralize services from the South End and Roxbury area.

“Everybody is sort of staying inside at the moment, but the moment the weather changes, people are going to be outside,” said South End Forum Moderator Steve Fox.

Dr. Bharel said the Roundhouse Hotel opened its doors back on Friday and can take in a total of 30 people.

There are also housing opportunities at the Shattuck Hospital, the EnVision Hotel, the Woods Mullen Shelter, one floor of 112 Southampton as well as additional locations in Brookline and Brighton.

Bharel said the city is working on finding permanent supportive housing.

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