By William Tauro
Yesterday I was driving around Somerville just observing as I have been doing for the past twenty plus year as a reporter/journalist in the city that I love. I came across a group of men camping out at the Henry Hansen Memorial Park that’s located on Medford Street in Somerville.
The city’s homeless problem it’s absolutely out of control and it’s getting worse. The decade long, ignored homeless situation problem in our city is unfortunately growing every day. And all of this comes before the safe injection sites even hit the streets here in Somerville which will make this situation increasingly worse citywide.
The administration’s lack of accountability speaks volumes here. It’s even worse now that they are camping out and drinking at a sacred memorial park dedicated to one of Somerville’s fallen heroes, Henry Hansen.
About Henry Hansen, An American Hero From Somerville | The Somerville/Medford News Weekly
This where they implement their Trauma Team. Intervention is most important helping with the addiction is the start, counciling, upon cleaning them up introduce them to some assistant housing situation. This will ensure they stay on target.
Thereafter some type of employment to get them back as a working participant in the community.
Ignoring their issues creates continued police, fire and ambulance calls and wasted hospital visits.
One of the biggest problems today with substance abuse and mental illness there is not enough follow through that continues. Unfortunately people are mainstreamed that need continued care and regular monitoring. Without that they become involved in a revolving door process that places them in a hospital they correct their meds or sober them up and they go home and back in the same situation in days or weeks.
This is not fair to the person, their families and neighbors who have to watch and deal with it, if they have them around. It also ties up important services and increases the medical costs for the government and taxpayers.
It is obvious and simple if you put the effort in the right place customized to each individual and their problems.
Just to say if that was a bunch of kids of age drinking and loitering it would be dealt with differently.
Let us start at the root of the problems in our city clean them up and make the city truly safe and livable for everyone.
Nobody cares