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2mo ago

South End Coalition Unveils Choice-Based Plan for Mass. and Cass, Featuring Recovery Court and NEST Expansion

The proposal pairs tougher enforcement with treatment diversion to curb street drug activity.

Oliver D'Agostino shares his personal experience living on the streets as an addict during a press conference, Wednesday, in Boston. Local officials and neighborhood partners gathered to announce a strategic framework to address the public health and safety crisis in the Mass and Cass area. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)
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Overview

  • Community leaders from the South End, Roxbury and Newmarket proposed a formal model that pressures people into treatment through enforcement while offering structured recovery pathways.
  • The plan calls for a specialty recovery court to divert those arrested for drug offenses into treatment in lieu of traditional prosecution.
  • It would expand Boston Police Department’s Neighborhood Engagement and Safety Team and deploy CORE teams of people with lived recovery experience for case management and rapid reengagement after relapse.
  • City figures cited by the working group report roughly 480 referrals to treatment since Sept. 15, including about 350 placements during a 10‑week period late last year.
  • Mayor Michelle Wu issued a non-committal statement noting preparations for warmer months and ongoing stakeholder engagement, as public health workers warn intensified enforcement undermines outreach and increases overdose risk.