A coalition of Boston businesses and neighborhood groups kicked off a campaign Friday calling for creation of a recovery campus at the MBTA-owned Widett Circle, pitching it as a way to relieve the unyielding pressures of drug use and homelessness in the area known as"Mass. and Cass."
Steve Fox, who chairs the South End Forum, said the"overriding objective" is to divert people away from the area near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, which has become a hub for open-air drug use, tent encampments and reports of violence, and toward a self-contained location equipped to provide services.
"Today, if somebody gets into recovery, and they have a relapse, it's more likely than not that they will be asked to leave a recovery center, or leave a place where they're on the journey," Fox said."By creating a ... recovery campus, we're saying that we're not going to kick people to the curb. If you have a relapse, or if there's a problem, then we simply move you back into the cycle.
Organizers unveiled their proposal Friday with support from the Greater Boston Food Bank, the Andrew Square Civic Association, Rep. John Moran of Boston and Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins. However, it's not yet clear if officeholders will get on board with the idea floated by local businesses and civic groups, nor how they might reconcile it with existing plans for use of the Widett Circle property.
Wu's office indicated city officials met with the South End Forum and the Newmarket Business Improvement District, but did not offer many more details.