During his campaign, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh emphasized his experiences in recovery, and talked about his sympathy for those who are down and out. But now, those same issues are overwhelming his administration. After three public meetings, there’s no consensus on what to do with the 700 homeless people evacuated from the Long Island Shelter in Boston Harbor. And it’s getting colder outside.
“We don’t feel like we’re treated as human beings. We feel like we’re treated more like livestock," said Cleve Rea, a homeless man who lived on Long Island and is now sleeping in a temporary shelter in the South End Fitness Center. He says that’s left him feeling aimless.
“And it’s scary," Rea said. "Absolutely scary to know that you don’t know where you’re going to go next.”
He’s just one member of a homeless population left in the lurch. Jonathan Scott, CEO of the health and housing nonprofit Victory Programs, says they’ve been impacted by the loss of Long Island — and the proximity of emergency and detox services it provided.
“It was a very self-contained island," Scott said. "We had police, we had fire, we had all utilities. We were fully equipped to be there with food and staffing 24 hours a day.”
Now city officials are scrambling to inspect vacant properties and decide where to build temporary shelters. Chief of Health and Human Services Felix Arroyo says he understands the frustration from those who concerned.
“We had an emergency plan," Arroyo said. "It is not as ideal as having the shelter on the island. But we had an emergency plan in place to try to house folks immediately.”
City officials say ideally, in 3 years, the bridge to Long Island will be repaired and the shelters there reopened. But in the meantime, there have been public meetings to discuss relocating some recovery services in Mattapan and Roxbury. But residents there associate the homeless with more crime.
“I would heartily recommend that you rethink the placement of the beds," one resident told city officials at a meeting.
One after another, residents questioned whether the city was considering other neighborhoods to house the homeless.
“We just don’t want it. But it seems like you guys are making your minds up for us and letting a few people here say what they want but you’re going to do what you want to do.”
Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, who attended all three meetings, says she’s not surprised by the backlash.
“Any neighborhood we go into, there’s going to be a NIMBY-ism," she said. "People are going to say, 'I care, I have a compassionate heart, but not in my own backyard.'”
Pressley says the city is urgently trying to find more detox beds and transitional housing, and at the same time, take in the larger picture.
“Why is there a crisis when Long Island shuts down? Because we have had a regional crisis four years building because of poverty, because of addiction, and a lack of investment in shelter beds and treatment programs," she said. "There’s been a divestment of those programs. Meanwhile we have an opiate epidemic.”
Together, those issues make this the biggest test of Mayor Walsh’s administration so far.
