Bostons’ Homeless Need More Funding: Rooves Don’t Stop Addictions
Bostons’ Homeless Need More Funding: Rooves Don’t Stop Addictions
Why this petition matters
Homelessness in Massachusetts is a growing problem, especially chronic homelessness and those addicted to substances. As of January 2020, almost 18,000 people were living on the streets in Massachusetts. Driving through Boston one may come across the area known as, Methadone Mile, where homeless people have been setting up tents and gathering in numbers for a handful of years. Since 2016 government officials have been trying to solve this problem without being overly forceful, however, it has become an open drug market for its occupants.
In 2017 a CNN reporter was interviewing Billy Donovan, a Mass native who became a heroin addict and lived in Methodone Mile. While being interviewed Donovan could not resist shooting up even though he was on camera. He was well aware of his addiction and when asked if he was afraid of dying from it Donovan answered; “I know I’m going to die from this”. People like Billy Donovan could have been saved if they got help sooner and if areas like Methodone Mile did not exist. To help the homeless people in Methadone Mile they will need access to medical care and facilities to stay for weeks or months at a time until they are healthy and able to fully function.
In March 2021, former Boston Mayor, Marty Walsh, stated that over $34 million would be given to the Department of Neighborhood Development, the Neighborhood Housing Trust (NHT), and the Community Preservation Fund. This will help preserve 841 income-restricted units of housing in Allston, Back Bay, Dorchester, Fenway, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roxbury, and the South End. However, temporary housing is only a short-term solution to homelessness and more funding will be needed to end Methadone Mile and other areas of gathering. Through taxes, Boston collected $34.147 billion in the 2021 fiscal year, which was $5.047 billion more than they expected. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue expects this number to grow by over two hundred million in 2022. More money should be focused on getting these people the medical help they need. Doctors and medicine will be needed for these homeless people to get their lives back on track.
Meghan Ottolini and Matt Stone, journalists for the Boston Herald, wrote about Bostons’ first steps in cleaning up Methadone Mile on the morning of October 25. Stating, “City officials clad in yellow raincoats began going tent to tent Monday morning at Mass and Cass, handing out storage bins and preparing to clear out the sprawling homeless encampment that has grown into an open-air drug market. Boston Public Health Commission workers moved methodically in the area also known as Methadone Mile, taking time to help occupants pack their things and transport them to temporary housing”. This is a great step in the right direction for those living on the street, especially in Methadone Mile. Long-term solutions will require helping these people break their addictions and getting them medical assistance if they are ill in any way. Contacting Massachusetts officials, such as Governor Charlie Baker and new Boston Mayor, Michelle Wu, and telling them that Massachusetts needs to contribute more tax revenue to the homelessness crisis. Temporary housing has limited beds and will never stop addicts from chasing their next fix. Sign this petition in support of the city officials’ first steps in ending Methadone Mile and contact Mass politicians to tell them how our tax revenue should be spent.
CONTACT MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIALS:
Governor Charlie Baker
Website: https://www.mass.gov/forms/email-the-governors-office (Go to the website to send an email)
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu
Call: 617-635-4500
Email: MAYOR@BOSTON.GOV
Website: https://www.boston.gov/departments/mayors-office
EDUCATE YOURSELF:
https://www.boston.gov/news/more-34-million-create-and-preserve-841-affordable-homes-boston
https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/ma/