Since the sudden closure of all shelters, addiction and other human services last fall, neighbors have seen a surge in garbage and drug paraphernalia, drug activity, unconscious and overdosed individuals on sidewalks and front steps, drug use and dealing, and people camping, bathing, using drugs, having sex and relieving themselves and sadly, overdosing, in public areas.

Many neighbors feel that the cluster of emergency facilities for displaced Long Island clients near Boston Medical Center is overwhelming to an area with an already-high concentration of shelters and addiction centers, and that the city has not responded adequately with supplemental services to accommodate both residents and the hundreds of displaced individuals.

Many South Enders have been discussing these issues among themselves at neighborhood meetings, calling police and other city offices as problems arise and contacting elected officials, but feel that their pleas for help are not being addressed.

On Monday, June 29, a standing room-only crowd of residents and city officials came to the monthly public safety meeting at the District 4 police station to air concerns, ask questions and seek a plan of action. The Boston Police Department (BPD) was represented by Captain Paul Ivens; Sgt. Lucas Taxter of the community service office; Sgt. Chris Morgan, head of BPD's citywide bicycle unit; and Ofcr. Jorge Dias. City and community-service representatives included District 3 city councilor Frank Baker; then-South End coordinator for the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services Jordan Deasy; Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) homeless services bureau director Beth Grand; BPHC public safety director Dennis Rorie; Pine Street Inn (PSI) security director Kevin Smith; and Boston Medical Center (BMC) public safety chief Connie Packard. Representatives of the Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association (B/FSNA), Chester Square Neighborhood Association (CSANA) and Jennifer Effron, executive director of Washington Gateway Main Street (WGMS) were also present. Blackstone District 7 city councilor Tito Jackson was invited but was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.

Smith had high praise for BPD's response to Pine Street's requests for assistance. "I come from Abington where we have community based policing, and it's amazing to come to the big city and see Paul (Ivens) do the same thing. These guys are not just crime fighters, they are problem solvers. We've made quite a few changes at the Inn, and with the help of the police and others, I think we can handle it," Smith said.

Grand filled neighbors in on the progress of the 112 Southampton Street shelter, which completed the opening of shelter beds two weeks ago. Grand explained that while Long Island residents who took the bus into Boston often had no place to go for hours, the Southampton Street shelter is open all day for those who have no place to go. A neighbor observed that the Southampton Street-Mass. Ave.-Melnea Cass Boulevard intersection adjacent to the shelter is a dangerous place to cross the street and asked whether there had been any accidents.

Grand replied, "The first couple of days we had staff supporting people while we worked that out. The last couple of days I haven't heard anything." Grand added that 112 Southampton Street has an outdoor space for homeless people who do not want to go inside. Ivens said that BPD has been directing homeless persons with no place to go during the day to Southampton Street.

Grand observed that both PSI and the Southampton Street shelter have been over capacity recently, while Ivens hinted at reasons for the area's booming homeless population. He said that the area is a magnet for the homeless and for people seeking addiction and other medical treatment because of Massachusetts's generous health-care system. He recalled meeting a homeless man from Georgia who came to Boston to get knee surgery and stayed in Boston for some time.

Courtney Trautman, president of the Friends of Blackstone and Franklin Squares and a St. George Street resident, said, "I am really happy to hear about all the good things that are happening at the shelters, but I've lived here 15 years and we've never had such a problem with people camping out there. Tonight there are mattresses in Franklin Square. What I see outside my front door is worse than it's ever been, and I'm not seeing these people being serviced. They are in there doing laundry in the fountain with shopping carts and suitcases every single day." Ivens replied, "Unfortunately, some people don't want to go to a shelter for various reasons and you can't force them. The thing is, they're not committing a crime."

Trautman said he has heard of residents of being threatened by homeless park-dwellers for looking at them and of loud fights in the square as late as 4:00 AM that woke up residents of surrounding buildings. Dias described the multiple challenges that BPD faces over the summer, including rising rates of domestic violence, increasing reports of shots fired and containing gang violence while youth are out of school. "It could be overwhelming. We don't have an 'overwhelmed' button; we just have to take a deep breath and come up with another game plan."

Several speakers cited the opioid addiction crisis as a major problem besetting the South End and other neighborhoods. Grant said, "The epidemic is worse than it's ever been and I know the Downtown Crossing area and other areas in the state are also experiencing large numbers of people passing that didn't exist a year ago." One of the officers pointed to addicts who use methadone as well as illegal drugs to stay high.

Trautman spoke of a "darker element" moving in, selling drugs and soliciting passersby to buy them. Bud Larievy, a board member of WGMS and of the Chester Square Area Neighborhood Association (CSANA) described homeless people spending the day in Worcester Square searching for food, bathing in the fountain and waiting to go back to a shelter.

"It breaks your heart and you say, 'What the hell is being done for them?' You have tears in your eyes when you see them falling down and you don't know what to do." Larievy added pointedly, "There's no one here from the methadone clinics? How interesting."

A woman who moved to the South End in 1976 said, "These people who are homeless, who are alcoholics or drug addicts, are also humans and citizens of the United States and they deserve our empathy and understanding."

Councilor Jackson was eager to talk about his office's efforts to combat the problems surrounding homelessness and drug activity in the area in a follow-up telephone interview.

"The issue around public safety is one I've been working on for a long time. I was one of the first people calling for healing since Long Island closed. We've really been pushing hard on BPHC and BPD to wrap their arms around this, and we have been facing a disparate effect having all of the services concentrated in one area in addition to pretty dismal living conditions for those who have been displaced. The number of break-ins and quality of life issues that people in that corner of the city are facing is unacceptable," Jackson said. "I've met with many local leaders and we were successful in getting special operations police officers at Harrison and Mass. Ave. for a while to ensure people's safety." Jackson continued, "The wonderful thing about people in the South End is that they care about people who have addictions and are homeless. The calls we receive from residents are both about quality of life issues and about individuals that need help. We've also supported the provision of staff to clean up the needles that people find in their yards and on sidewalks. There has to be a comprehensive look at the effect of the [Long Island] bridge culture and how it affects South End and Newmarket residents and businesses. These issues go all the way from Newmarket to the Christian Science Center. I look forward to making progress."

Some attendees of the June 29 meeting commented on the aftermath of the discussion. Larievy wrote, "I am disappointed that so many leaders from the city and state were not present. Our neighborhood is being overwhelmed because of the concentration of so many service shelters and clinics all within one area. The result is that all are victimized by the lack of central planning and management of appropriate services and placement for these very needy people. The police, fire and other city departments are doing their best to contend with what is an impossible situation while trying to do everything else they need to do. It is time to rethink this situation and seek assistance from other Boston communities so that District 4, the BMC area and throughout all the South End, residents and businesses can better address this crisis. This would include relocation of the clinics and shelters while setting limits and conditions for dispensing and payment for receiving methadone. It needs to be strictly regulated with constant supervision and consequences. If we do not then we are substituting one addiction for another."

Sherwood Hughes, vice president of B/FSNA, expressed optimism. "Immediately following the meeting, Area D-4 (BPD) tracked down the mattresses, which were being stored in a doorway at the Blackstone Community Center. I think they spoke to the gentleman who is doing his laundry in the park too. They also moved the drug sellers and smokers out of the parks, which is a huge thing. Maintaining a level of activity in the parks to keep them clean of illegal elements will be tough, but we think that BPD can do it," Hughes wrote in a follow-up statement.