Boston: Mayor Michelle Wu, Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, and Representative John Moran Announce $4M in Funding Included in House Ways & Means Proposed Budget to Support Coordinated Efforts to Address Safety, Health and Quality of Life in Mass & Cass Area

Mayor Michelle Wu today joined House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz and State Representative John Moran to announce $4 million in new funding that will be included in the House Ways & Means proposed budget in support of ongoing initiatives to end outdoor substance use in neighborhoods of Boston and connect individuals with treatment and recovery programs. Mayor Wu also highlighted progress made across various city departments and agencies, including the Coordinated Response Team (CRT), which leads cross-departmental efforts to address safety, health, and quality of life for residents with a goal to end outdoor substance use in neighborhoods of Boston and the criminal activity that supports it, and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), which leads a public health approach to supporting residents with substance use disorder. Today's announcement builds on the City's significant progress and highlights continued coordination between the City, state partners and community leaders to advance comprehensive, long-term solutions and ensure public health in the Mass & Cass area and citywide.

"Boston has made meaningful progress toward the goal of ending outdoor drug use in our neighborhoods through a sustained and coordinated effort grounded in public health, safety, and accountability," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "We're seeing fewer crowds, fewer calls for service, and more people connected to treatment, thanks to the ongoing collaborations with neighborhood working groups, service providers, and our City and State agencies. I'm grateful to Chairman Aaron Michlewitz and Representative John Moran for their leadership in including significant funding in the House budget that would support even more of this critical work."

To drive forward crucial efforts to address quality of life in the Mass and Cass for residents and families, Chairman Aaron Michlewitz announced that the House Ways & Means Committee will include $4 million in their proposed budget supporting various initiatives better connecting individuals with treatment options and recovery programs. Funding is aimed at bolstering supportive recovery housing options for individuals and additional clinical support services.

"By providing these additional financial resources, we will be able to better connect individuals with acceptable treatment options and effective recovery programs. With this partnership between the Commonwealth and the City, we will be able to not only improve the lives of the residents of Boston but also help people on the road to recovery," said Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means (D-Boston). "I want to thank Mayor Wu and her administration for their tireless commitment to this issue, as well as Representative John Moran, and the other members of the working group for finding a reasonable and effective solution to this issue."

"Sincere thanks to Chairman Aaron Michlewitz for his steadfast support of the South End/Roxbury/Newmarket Working Group on Addiction and Recovery and his commitment to advancing meaningful solutions for Mass and Cass. Together with city and state partners, we remain focused on balanced, humane, and effective solutions that strengthen public health, improve safety, and restore confidence in our neighborhoods," said State Representative John Moran (9th Suffolk District).

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Last year, the City brought together the Coordinated Response Team (CRT), the Boston Police Department and their Neighborhood Engagement Safety Team (NEST), the Boston Public Health Commission, partner organizations and elected officials to advance coordinated efforts for the Mass and Cass area and improve conditions in various neighborhoods. This led to a series of recommendations being brought forward by the South End/Roxbury/Newmarket Working Group on Addiction and Recovery. These recommendations have informed the City's ongoing strategy to end outdoor substance use in the area and across Boston neighborhoods.

"I want to thank Chairman Aaron Michlewitz for his unwavering commitment, Representative John Moran for his steadfast advocacy at the state level, and to Mayor Michelle Wu for recognizing the urgency and complexity of these challenges — working to improve quality of life for residents and business owners, while ensuring that those who are struggling receive the care, dignity, and support they deserve on their path to recovery," said District 3 City Councilor John Fitzgerald.

"What we see at Mass and Cass and nearby neighborhoods is a mix of enormously complex societal challenges," said Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden. "It isn't just one issue; it's many all at once across public health, public safety, homelessness and quality of life. I thank everyone here for helping put forward solutions and look forward to continuing our efforts in partnership."

"I want to thank Mayor Wu, Chairman Michlewitz, and my committed recovery working group co-chairs for their thoughtful recommendations and steadfast support of the Mayor's Coordinated Response Team (CRT) co-response diversion program in partnership with the Boston Police Department Neighborhood Engagement Safety Team (NEST)," said Kellie Young, Director of Coordinated Response Team. "Together, we are working to end outdoor substance use and improve quality of life for our residents, business owners, and individuals living with substance use disorder. Through our partnership with the Gavin Foundation, we are ensuring that individuals are rapidly connected to structured pathways to recovery that promote stability and long term support. We are already seeing clear, measurable improvements across our city streets, with consistent reductions in outdoor substance use and meaningful progress in restoring public spaces. We remain focused on building on that progress every day. This work reflects what's possible when coordination, accountability, and compassion come together—and strengthens our commitment to advancing both public safety and public health across Boston."

"As Boston Public Health Commission prioritizes health and provides a wide continuum of prevention, care, and treatment services, more work is needed, and we're thankful to the Mayor, our city and state partners, and our provider partners who do this challenging work with us on a daily basis," said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. "Our city is a national leader in our response to the substance use crisis, and I'm proud of our legacy of crafting innovative, collaborative, evidence-based, and compassionate policy to ensure people living with substance use disorder have access to the full continuum of treatment services."

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Boston Public Health Commission works to promote the health and wellness of residents across Boston, including people with substance use disorder. Their data show a 38% decrease in overdose deaths in Boston, the lowest number of overdose deaths in nine years. BPHC's Recovery Services Bureau focuses on preventing overdose, expanding treatment access, and supporting recovery through harm reduction services, outreach programs, and community partnerships. In 2025, BPHC had more than 45,000 client interactions through outreach services and programs, and they placed about 2,500 people on treatment pathways. BPHC's Mattapan Recovery campus provides residential treatment beds with 24-hour care and alone had 850 enrollments in 2025.

In an effort to improve quality of life and address unlawful behavior, the Boston Police Department continues to implement various strategies. In the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, quality of life calls for service have decreased by 20% and total violent crime has decreased by 33% year to date 2026 compared to 2025. Total violent crime in the Mass and Cass area decreased 7%, property crime decreased 6%, and arrests increased by 54% for 2025 compared to 2024.

To enhance real-time responsiveness and shift to more proactive, preventative engagement, the CRT worked closely with NEST to use a new, field-based diversion model which is effectively engaging more residents in high impact areas. This new effort has led to the CRT and NEST proactively engaging more than 890 people since September through their coordinated outreach efforts. This engagement has led to more than 600 people accessing inpatient substance use treatment. On March 30, City teams launched our Warm Weather Initiative, bringing additional BPD resources for NEST with support from state partners and the MBTA Transit Police. In the two weeks since launching efforts across agencies, the Coordinated Response Team has engaged more than 160 individuals and helped 90 people onto recovery pathways.

With warmer weather approaching, the City of Boston will continue to advance and expand our efforts to end outdoor substance abuse, connect individuals to treatment and recovery programs, and build on our progress. Next week, the City  will send the annual 2026 Warm Weather Plan and Coordinated Response Team Report to the Boston City Council.

This announcement also builds on the City's new partnership with the Gavin Foundation, supported by a grant from the Cummings Foundation, has expanded access to recovery and treatment services in the area. Although significant challenges remain, over the past four years, the City has succeeded in building clear pathways to recovery and stable housing, coordinating public safety and public health responses, and ending permanent encampments in Boston. To address persistent outdoor substantial use and quality of life challenges, the Boston Police Department has committed to increased presence and enforcement in impacted areas, focused on diverting individuals in treatment and recovery programs.

For additional information on the City's ongoing efforts, please visit the Coordinated Response Team's webpage and this dashboard.

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