The Morton Street Campus proposal – developed by BMC in partnership with a Coalition of community-based providers of health, addiction, and supportive housing services – proposes a coordinated mix of clinical programs and supportive housing to meet the needs of individuals facing mental illness, addiction and homelessness. The original proposal includes 446 treatment beds (272 Clinical Beds and 174 emergency shelter and transitional programming beds) and 405 units of supportive housing for individuals and families.

We anticipate modifications to this plan based on community feedback. Modifications are planned to address a reduction in the scale of the project and to further strengthen the clinical care model. 

The coordinated clinical and housing model being proposed for Morton Street was developed by the following expert providers:

• Providers of clinical and support programs: BMC, Bay Cove Human Services, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, Health Care Resource Centers, Victory Programs and Pine Street Inn. These providers offer unmatched experience providing clinical and social services to community members in Boston.
• Housing developer partners:  The Community Builders and Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation have partnered with communities and government to produce and manage thousands of supportive and affordable housing units across the Boston region, integrating supportive services into every aspect of design and operations.

BMC, the largest essential hospital in New England, is committed to a healthier, more equitable and thriving community. BMC is nationally known for its research and clinical programs in addiction and mental health and has assembled a team of best-in-class service providers and supportive housing developers, owners, and operators for the proposed redevelopment of Shattuck Hospital Campus at Morton Street. 

The site has been used in support of public health needs for nearly 70 years; in 2026 the Commonwealth plans to relocate all medical and psychiatric services currently at Shattuck Hospital to the East Newton Pavilion in the South End. With that transition in mind, the Commonwealth issued an RFP for redevelopment of the site to include both clinical space geared towards residential treatment and the provision of physical and behavioral health services addressing substance use disorder and supportive housing.

The original proposal is consistent with the longstanding mix of clinical, shelter and emergency housing services offered on the site. The most notable difference is the proposed inclusion of supportive housing.

We are proposing comprehensive and coordinated clinical services for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorder and related clinical care needs. Our goal is to create a coordinated and connected set of services in one location, to support improved outcomes for patients, helping them stay in recovery. The specific clinical services we are proposing include a mix of services already existing at the Shattuck site, as well as new programs largely geared toward people at later stages of recovery.

Our original proposed mix of existing and new services includes:

• 32 Acute Treatment Service (also referred to as Inpatient Detox) beds
• 48 Clinical Stabilization Services (CSS) beds
• 112 Residential Rehabilitation Service (RRS) beds
• Outpatient Services (e.g., primary care services, Opioid Treatment Program)
• 48 Intensive Inpatient Psychiatry beds
• 32 Behavioral Health Respite Unit beds

We anticipate modifications to this plan based on community feedback.

Both the population we expect to serve and the broader community will significantly benefit from the proposed supportive housing services, including long-term housing with access to a wide array of support services and case management.  In addition, we have proposed a highly structured set of short term/emergency housing. The original proposal includes:

• Supportive housing: 405 new units of supportive housing (including 200 units for individuals proposed in Phase One and managed by the Pine Street Inn, and 205 units for families proposed in Phase Two and managed by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation).
• Emergency shelter and transitional programming: 90 Emergency Shelter/transitional beds, 54 beds for Structured Outpatient Addiction Program participants, 30 Safe Haven Program beds (managed by Pine Street Inn).

Supportive housing is long-term housing that people call a home, with access to case management, job training, life skills, counseling, transportation, and other supports. Residents will be tenants who sign a lease and pay rent. Experience shows that supportive housing is an effective public health strategy, supporting individuals in successfully achieving their goals for improved health and stability. Supportive housing is very different from the low-threshold shelter beds operated on the site today.

Many of the Coalition partners have extensive experience in developing and operating supportive housing for individuals with behavioral health and substance use disorder needs; the model is effective and in place in multiple communities throughout Greater Boston. Our model of housing on the site will be affordable and with the goal of building community, and we will work with the City and State and consider community feedback to determine how to prioritize potential residents.

The Morton Street redevelopment presents an opportunity for us to provide coordinated, co-located services to include inpatient needs, clinically managed residential services, and outpatient services, especially for those who are unhoused. Almost all mental health and substance use disorder services we have proposed already exist on the campus and have for many years. Housing stability supports a more effective clinical recovery process, and in particular access to supportive housing is an essential part of the care continuum.

This model – a coordinated, co-located journey to recovery that covers inpatient needs, clinically managed residential services, and outpatient services – is recognized as the standard of care for individuals in recovery (per The American Society of Addiction Medicine). The approach we are proposing is not new, but it uses a more coordinated and cohesive model of care than today’s fragmented system of recovery.

While the RFP specified a minimum of 75-100 units of supportive housing, the need for supportive housing far exceeds the minimum in the RFP. Because the need for housing overall is so great, the Coalition proposed a level of supportive housing it considered appropriate, including family housing. We anticipate modifications to this plan based on community feedback.

Our team prioritized a significant expansion of publicly accessible open space, with improved, welcoming routes to the park and new pedestrian, bicycle, and transit connections. By limiting above-ground parking, we can develop additional, accessible green space adjacent to the campus – for a total of more than seven dedicated acres of green, pedestrian and plaza space. We hope to collaborate with the community about different types of public amenities and recreation that could be put in this green space.

“Mass & Cass” is not a treatment and recovery program. Rather, it unfortunately represents a manifestation of untreated, unhoused individuals living with both mental illness and substance use disorders.

Our proposal creates treatment and recovery programs that work together to address the root causes of mental illness, substance use disorder, and homelessness to prevent another crisis like “Mass and Cass”. Every aspect of the proposal – from the mix of uses, inpatient levels of care, the role of supportive housing, and the clinical programs – allows individuals experiencing homelessness to pursue recovery in a safer, more controlled environment. The clinical programs and housing programs on the site would prioritize longer-term care for people recovering from substance use disorders, with those in acute treatment accounting for less than 10% of the population on site.

At the same time, our Coalition recognizes that safety and security on the site must be our top priority, and BMC and the Coalition partners will work with the State, City, and community stakeholders to develop an effective and reliable public safety program. 

BMC and Coalition partners are committed to the safety and security of individuals on the site and the surrounding Morton Street redevelopment areas. We will work with the State, City, and community leaders to develop an effective and reliable public safety plan in collaboration with BPD and State officials. We will also consult with outside experts and additional community members in developing a plan based on the final mix of uses approved for the site.

The BMC team of public safety experts has significant experience in this area, and we have a long track record of working closely with neighbors, partners in the community, and law enforcement on plans that prioritize the safety of our neighborhoods, staff, and patients.
Below are safety measures that BMC institutes across its locations and will be considered at the Morton Street campus:

• A 24/7 security force, staffed with individuals experienced and trained in trauma-informed approaches and de-escalation techniques, and stationed at regular access points and throughout the facility and area
• Lighting, signage, street improvement and other infrastructure designed to support a safe environment
• Technology that would support personnel in monitoring the campus
• Thoughtful landscape design to create natural divisions between campus programming and public spaces
• Good neighbor policies and ongoing safety meetings with the community.

Given that we are still in discussions with the Commonwealth about what services and uses should be prioritized in the modified proposal, the final mix of uses for the site has not yet been determined. The final scale, services, and design for this site will help determine the specific details of a security plan. We recognize that this is an area of significant community interest and we expect that the security plan would address detailed questions raised by our neighbors.

In today’s system, fewer than 1 in 5 individuals make it to the next clinical step after detox. The Morton Street Campus is a critical opportunity to improve that statistic and positively impact the lives of many – including families and our communities disproportionately impacted by these issues.

The clinical programs originally proposed offer comprehensive medical, psychiatric, and addiction care by multidisciplinary teams along with wraparound services. Wraparound services for resident families in supportive housing can include therapy, counseling, job searching and placement, recreation, and more.

Based on community feedback and modifications planned to adjust the scale of the project, wraparound services will support the integrity of the model.

This proposal will require a sizable investment on behalf of the Coalition partners, as well as government partners at the City and State level. We expect to contribute philanthropic dollars/private fundraising as well. The Coalition members recognize that this proposal is one piece of a broader solution to address the challenges of addiction and mental illness, often resulting in homelessness.

The Commonwealth and its residents need a range of services across the state to meet the needs of individual patients, create and maintain thriving communities, and to repair the current fragmented system of care. We believe services at Long Island can complement the service mix originally proposed for the Morton Street Campus.

The Coalition proposal does not include maintaining the temporary cottages currently on the site.

BMC and Coalition partners have a strong track record of supporting and partnering with the community, and we are dedicated to maintaining this commitment with the Morton Street redevelopment.

BMC’s approach to delivering benefits to community includes: 

• Prioritizing local hires and offering job training programs that lead to a long-term livable wage, including skilled and clinical jobs.
• Partnering with local vendors, including with minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
• Supporting initiatives that invest in the building blocks of healthy communities, such as the Boston Impact Initiative.
• Enhancing green spaces and sustainable facilities.

We recognize that this is an area of significant community interest, and we look forward to continuing to receive feedback from the community as we work on modifying our original proposed plan.

We are currently in the early part of a multiyear, multiphase process of permitting and community feedback. The anticipated timeline below is subject to change:

We appreciate the feedback we have received via two virtual meetings, a community open house, numerous ongoing small group and individual and civic groups meetings, and a Boston City Council hearing held on April 4, 2024. These conversations have yielded useful insights that will be addressed through modifications to the original plan.

The Coalition is committed to a process of transparent community engagement in a variety of settings so that the public can share feedback that will be critical to inform the planning and development process.

Thank you to all who have participated in the community engagement process thus far. In addition to the in-person Open House hosted on September 19th, the Coalition has engaged with the community through two large virtual public meetings, small group meetings, and one-on-one conversations and has heard feedback on topics including clinical and supportive housing services, health and safety, open space, and more.

We are in the process of modifying our plan based on community feedback received thus far and will share these modifications when available. To learn more about the community engagement process and/or to host a community meeting, please fill out the contact form here.