[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6243196,"mediaKeyId","3241221-e950d530c6805df2a245d52f98b87f27","parentId",3241221,"title","Proponents push City Council to fund Boston People’s Response nonpolice crisis-response pilot","audioSeconds",763,"startMs",10089000,"endMs",10852000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3241221-e950d530c6805df2a245d52f98b87f27&start=10089&end=10852","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3241221-e950d530c6805df2a245d52f98b87f27/thumbnail_10089000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6243196/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Proponents-push-City-Council-to-fund-Boston-Peoples-Response-nonpolice-crisis-response-pilot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243196-fa1f9e89bd0d48cc242deb6a1f825823/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157526&Signature=aT-u8LtbI4BvO5y51bpJo6azm9mP05JZ-VLw~AhuuffYQ~KdBh3AHiJTJTjN44lAGA73tiEE2-zsYfhjsTplZcsjl0Rq-YbHFIh2cAoTxhyY~NLy01vg45JLXCBGCjGGgOJAwT-Ug-GuFae7QpTIhfg75cneX7ysWTVii2f20sGBr8qwW1L8L-5vyFhzGhuGGvoeA4kLXh1r5Qe38IE2uF-g9RIzooRyfqZtjfdjlfhs1p6QJ4wff29WMXYzp3mOP97weE12nMlAH9IyA9~4RuTtjMtmHtG0k0bHmXrA6WdzcPG4HDLvCAKwGPp0j8z3nHgd1sCIDO31F~oQI0gPWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boston City, MA","date","2025-05-09T01:58:07Z","article","Dozens of public commenters told the Boston City Council’s Ways and Means Committee on May 8 that council should fund Boston People’s Response, a community-led, nonpolice crisis-response pilot, and that $4 million be allocated to scale the program.

Speakers described the BPR model as a free, community-based alternative to police response for mental-health and behavioral-health crises and said it would be more approachable for people who distrust police. “Boston People’s Response is more approachable than the current systems we have because it relies on real relationships and trust,” one commenter who identified herself as a social worker said.

Nut graf: Testimony emphasized community trust, noncarceral de-escalation and expanded behavioral-health capacity. Commenters urged the council to reallocate police funds for a pilot and noted the lack of respondent organizations that could run the pilot immediately, prompting city staff to pursue a community-led procurement path.

Several youth workers, students and community organizers recounted that people in crisis are frequently more frightened than dangerous and that armed police responses can escalate situations. Testimony included requests that the council fund BPR, invest in training and ensure that any program is staffed by culturally competent, trauma-informed responders. Several speakers asked the city to use existing nonprofit providers with local experience; councilors and administration officials said the city issued a request for information and is evaluating options.

Ending: Councilors heard community proponents and said they will pursue next steps. The administration told the committee a prior RFI did not identify an immediate contractor for a city-run program and that the city prefers a community-led partner to manage the pilot; councilors asked for a procurement and funding timeline.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ways & Means FY26 Budget: Boston Public Health Commission on May 8, 2025 at 2:00pm","oneSentenceSummary","Dozens of public commenters urged the council to allocate $4 million to a community-led, nonpolice crisis-response pilot called Boston People’s Response (BPR), saying community responders build trust and avert harms that can arise when police respond to behavioral-health or mental-health crises.","taxTitle","Boston City, Suffolk County, Massachusetts","taxId",3381,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6243201,"Boston EMS outlines staffing, call volume and a $86.8 million FY26 budget request to council",1436,1834000,3270000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3241221-e950d530c6805df2a245d52f98b87f27&start=1834&end=3270","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3241221-e950d530c6805df2a245d52f98b87f27/thumbnail_1834000.jpg","/articles/6243201/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Boston-EMS-outlines-staffing-call-volume-and-a-868-million-FY26-budget-request-to-council","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243201-2d4c6acfa58c21e7cefefabf9f964682/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157526&Signature=F8mLNfy5b5ixIwNZpKbI7b0rfdaSF7suWFu~G4PORwqo0LURincPuYRiNsYT7-4Hb5~MiUoMNd6zEqAAtJpfWmssSLAnnjjF5293~UEDTRE2EOechy92gFwNDFN5dvuYpGQWM24~hzu8nTYr1WzOAUXf5L11oePt58zxxp0XarQUMt7-1RvNPotP78SUq6rt0zSITnH~t~RQKx3Ni7JrwqPDdWNAy858ktKyJh3RWNHz81TuRyTFO8Uz2RFznau1op-GcqLhJCXLaY0AL2dR6jLNpf9KIA~C7pNCTFiPtr24Grn3szs0ulX18-gOWu8uph~YoUKBBPq~K44CtKk56Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Boston Emergency Medical Services Chief James Hooley told the City Council Committee on Ways and Means on May 8 that Boston EMS responded to a high volume of calls in 2024, is expanding recruitment and retention efforts and requested $86.8 million for the FY26 operating budget.

“We are 1 of the busiest, if not the busiest, municipal ambulance services in all of New England,” Chief Hooley said, describing the department’s staffing, training and alternative-response programs.

The chief told councilors Boston EMS comprises about 440 uniformed members and 32 non-uniformed personnel, and that the department answered “over 140,000 clinical incidents in calendar year 02/2024,” which resulted in 93,774 patient transports. He said EMS operates approximately 22 basic life support and five advanced life support frontline ambulances during peak times and has deployed alternative-response units pairing EMTs with behavioral-health clinicians: those units recorded 1,978 patient encounters since startup and facilitated 210 transports to alternative destinations.

Nut graf: Chief Hooley urged continued investment in personnel, training and facilities, saying wages and benefits account for more than 86% of the bureau’s budget and that nearly half of EMS costs are offset by patient-transport revenue from Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers.

Hooley described retention and recruitment efforts: a cadet program and scholarships for EMT training (more than 100 scholarships offered), apprenticeships funded in part by federal CDC grants and an increase in hires (98 uniformed hires in the 2024 period cited). He said nonretirement attrition among uniformed staff fell by 35% year over year.

Council members questioned response times and geographic coverage after the closure of Carney (Kearney) Hospital. Chief Hooley said transport times from Dorchester have increased and that Boston EMS has worked to add a regularly staffed ambulance in the Dorchester area on all three shifts to mitigate longer transports and to re-evaluate deployment as more recruits graduate. He also described a commitment to a new Seaport station (two-bay facility) and radio-infrastructure upgrades funded through an approved capital program.

Ending: The chief asked the council to sustain investments in staffing, training and stations to maintain response capacity across neighborhoods while the commission and councilors continued to pursue data-driven deployments and outcome metrics for transport times and unit availability.","Boston EMS told the City Council committee it handled more than 140,000 clinical incidents in 2024, is expanding staffing and alternative response units, and projects a FY26 operating budget of $86.8 million largely driven by wages and collective bargaining.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6243206,"Boston Public Health Commission details harm-reduction, shelter and opioid-settlement spending as part of FY26 budget review",368,926000,1294000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3241221-e950d530c6805df2a245d52f98b87f27&start=926&end=1294","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3241221-e950d530c6805df2a245d52f98b87f27/thumbnail_926000.jpg","/articles/6243206/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Boston-Public-Health-Commission-details-harm-reduction-shelter-and-opioid-settlement-spending-as-part-of-FY26-budget-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243206-a218f406c6699baaa4b02747b3b6dffc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157526&Signature=hs6~leDmdTwhybqOV7izfeL5ioGPZIiKfjanq1aErVWRrVmSrUa7AbinE1Mjomo4ehjcgAAH~mXs8MC8UBGod9X4tYmX~lnuZQ6SnQd9h3oBuR04t-kfYvAzFSiuNBiCoVD65j3wJ7dj4Qz98IEX65mkrOtO3A4Y6fn04vi69secVvtk01NbaMTr2kpDJAiqd96XrozLswyOzMLUTQAqu7UiQAzNcGra4PDIYZesAax3dtNpiK-j9czebmxaTT~C8SNAZ-2AGBUsnFleplvLLMuJpaDwb4aVlf5U8ROJV34j3fwchB1SoWmF7kbrEbl~~IFSfGiHFjogzPqVcBhoRg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Boston Public Health Commission staff told the City Council’s Ways and Means Committee on May 8 that the commission is expanding harm-reduction services, increasing syringe collection, and directing opioid-settlement funds toward family supports, community grants and clinical services.

Commission staff framed harm reduction as one component of a continuum of care and cited recent program statistics and new outreach efforts. “Harm reduction is 1 vital component to keep people who use drugs alive,” the presenter said, describing AHOPE (Access Harm Reduction Overdose Prevention and Education), mobile outreach and enhanced syringe-collection work.

The commission said it distributed 768,481 syringes in fiscal 2025 through April 1 and collected 1,023,245, a ratio of 1.33 collected for every syringe distributed. Staff described expanded syringe-collection teams that respond to 311 requests and a new workforce-development pilot hiring clients in early recovery for neighborhood cleanup and syringe collection.

Nut graf: The commission told the committee it is using the first tranche of opioid-settlement dollars to support families, increase naloxone distribution, and fund community organizations and clinical services—while acknowledging that shelter demand and the need for permanent housing remain high.

Officials said the settlement money has funded the overdose family support fund (one-time assistance of up to $5,000 per immediate family for burial, therapy, childcare and legal fees), a $1,000,000 request-for-proposals that awarded grants to five community-based organizations focused on Nubian Square, and a $745,000 award to Boston Healthcare for the Homeless to provide harm-reduction clinicians at emergency shelters. Staff also said they will use future settlement dollars to cover operational costs at one existing low-threshold site (the Envision Hotel) and to fund case management contracts with partners such as Elliott Human Services.

Commission staff described residential-treatment placements and specialized programs: the Transitions Program on the Mattapan campus (62 admissions through April 1) and Entre Familia, a program focused on women and children (59 admissions through April 1). They also noted a doula pilot added at the women-and-children program and a low-threshold methadone provider colocated at the Finland Building (774 Albany Street).

On homelessness, staff said demand for emergency shelter remains high: the commission’s two emergency shelters served 3,341 individual guests through April 1 in fiscal 2024 and the commission was on track to meet or exceed the prior year’s total of 4,040 individuals. Staff described a “90-day challenge” undertaken in winter 2025 that increased housing placements to permanent housing by 226 placements and stated that shelters offer food, workforce development and housing navigation in addition to beds.

Councilors asked for additional detail on how opioid-settlement funds will be allocated over time and how outcomes will be tracked. The presenter and the budget director said the commission conducted community engagement—about 600 people via focus groups and surveys in 2023—to prioritize settlement spending and that detailed budget schedules would be provided to council offices on request. The commission also described workforce-development partnerships and partnerships with community clinical providers to increase treatment access and to place clinicians in low-threshold settings.

Ending: The commission emphasized continuing investment in harm reduction, shelter services and treatment access while warning that permanent supportive housing resources remain limited. Councilors requested breakdowns of proposed spending by line item and additional outcome measures for tracking rehousing and treatment engagement.","Boston Public Health Commission staff told the City Council’s Ways and Means Committee that the commission is expanding harm-reduction services, syringe-collection efforts and shelter-to-housing placements and has begun deploying opioid-settlement funds to family supports, community grants and clinical services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Proponents push City Council to fund Boston People’s Response nonpolice crisis-response pilot

Boston EMS outlines staffing, call volume and a $86.8 million FY26 budget request to council

Boston Public Health Commission details harm-reduction, shelter and opioid-settlement spending as part of FY26 budget review