The wasteland referred to as Mass and Cass can’t be allowed to fester like a perpetual sore in the midst of the town perpetually.
The Long Island bridge reconstruction mission stays one of the best answer, however that’s years away. So it’s time for daring motion.
Lawmakers have simply handed an concept pushed by Hub state Sen. Nick Collins to check the practicality of bringing again a floating hospital within the Harbor. Addicts may very well be placed on the ship to be handled and companies may get again to work and never be pressured to cope with the unsanitary circumstances alongside the Methadone Mile.
The FY24 finances entry states: “Not less than $50,000 shall be expended for a study
to be conducted by the Department of Mental Health, in consultation with the naval construction and marine engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on the feasibility of converting a decommissioned ship or other water-based vessel into a floating hospital for mental health, substance use treatment and recovery services; and provided further, that not later than February 15, 2024, the department shall submit a report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the House and Senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery and the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs.”
If the Mass & Cass regulars may very well be plucked off the road and placed on a hospital ship to be handled in time for subsequent summer time, that may be a significant step in the precise route.
But what this expenditure actually proves is motion speaks louder than phrases. The metropolis has been attempting to scrub up the world but it has change into the drug-addled vacation spot of alternative for the area’s opiate addicted. Police have executed sweeps; the DA has focused the offenders however former Gov. Charlie Baker and now Gov. Maura Healey ought to push for much more options.
We’ve reached the purpose when Mass & Cass have to be fastened.
Researchers at MIT have already studied the potential for turning a decommissioned cruise ship into reasonably priced housing models. A February 2023 report discovered changing a cruise ship “is feasible, and offers crucial advantages over comparable land-based approaches.”
“The elimination of new construction, the existing habitable arrangements, and the availability of large-volume spaces for amenities suggest a compelling candidate to creatively address the affordable housing shortage besetting scores of cities and millions of citizens across the country,” the MIT report mentioned earlier than recommending extra evaluation on the concept.
The Floating Hospital for Children — which might later change into Tufts Children’s Hospital — was a medical crusing ship in Boston Harbor the place kids may search out therapy. A Twenties fireplace ultimately moved services onshore.
This proves that the established order alongside Mass and Cass doesn’t must be the norm. Yes, persons are struggling however options are throughout.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”