Recovery Campus Proposed for Boston and Surrounding Communities

The Council adopted a resolution in support of prioritizing a recovery campus for the City of Boston, citing urgent public health and public safety concerns and growing frustration over the long-delayed plans for Long Island.

The resolution highlights that the Long Island Bridge - once home to treatment facilities and shelters operated by the Boston Public Health Commission - was closed in 2014 due to structural concerns. Since then, progress on rebuilding the bridge and restoring recovery services has been slow, with costs now estimated to exceed $1 billion.

Although the City's FY2026-2030 Capital Plan includes over $100 million for a new bridge and funding for building repairs and renovations, legal and logistical delays continue to cast uncertainty over the project's timeline. In the meantime, residents and business owners affected by the ongoing Mass and Cass crisis have voiced deep concern about worsening conditions.

On September 4, the Council held an off-site hearing at the Hampton Inn, where nearly 200 community members testified about the impacts of the crisis, ranging from public drug use and violence to property crimes and threats to personal safety. The vast majority called for immediate, coordinated action from the city and state to prioritize a recovery campus and invest in treatment-first approaches.

The resolution emphasizes the urgent need for concrete steps to provide vital treatment programs and address quality-of-life concerns citywide. By adopting this resolution, the Council formally supports making a recovery campus a top priority for Boston.