The part of Boston known locally as “Mass and Cass” has become synonymous with homelessness and addiction, both of which have only intensified during the pandemic. Nearby residents have long raised alarm at the concentrated drug use and the street’s impact on a range of public health measures as the population there grows.
This week, Boston’s acting Mayor Kim Janey called for a regional solution due to the fact that many people on “Mass and Cass” are from outside Boston. Her plan would include sending 30 individuals to a hotel in Revere to be used as a transitional homeless shelter. Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo, who is opposed to the idea, join Jim Braude, along with Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, on Greater Boston.
“30 beds isn’t a plan. 30 beds is a band aid on a situation, a crisis in the city of Boston that needs real leadership and real support,” Arrigo said about the need for a collaborative approach. “At the end of the day, I’m not picking a fight, I’m trying to stand up for my city.”
“We need to all be doing this together — moving the problem doesn’t fix the problem,” Curtatone said. “We need bold, deliberate leadership and planning, not piloting… We need a holistic collection of solutions, but we are on our own to figure it out.”
WATCH: Should Revere and other neighboring cities help with Mass and Cass?
