"Packed in a nearby church's sanctuary, residents and business owners of Somerville's Davis Square gathered for a neighborhood public safety meeting Monday night, anxious to hear how the city is planning to address a seemingly growing homelessness crisis. However, some residents felt unheard. "Could you please do something for us," one woman said, "and stop them from shooting up outside the day care?" Over the past two years, Davis Square's Statue Park and Seven Hills Park have seen a surge in their homeless populations."
"Some residents have decried what they describe as an uptick in violence and open drug use. At times, community members have raised the alarm about people setting up tents in the square and pointed to a noticeable increase in litter. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, who lost her bid for reelection in last month's primary, members of her administration, and Somerville Police Deputy Chief James Donovan spoke Monday about this year's progress."
Residents and business owners in Somerville's Davis Square raised urgent safety concerns as homelessness, open drug use, and tents increased in public parks and the square. Some community members reported violence, people injecting drugs outside a day care, and growing litter. City officials described responses including three new community health workers, a library social worker, and the opening of an overnight warming center. Police patrols were more than doubled and a nonprofit partner secured permanent housing for 65 people since January. Critics labeled the city response as piecemeal and said the square had become seedy and chaotic.
Read at Boston.com
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