Boston Moves 154 People From Mass Ave Encampments to Housing Without Arrests

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston clears Mass Ave encampments, moves 154 people into low-threshold housing without a single arrest. Mayor Michelle Wu announced at a Wednesday morning press conference hosted by Pine Street Inn that the city's coordinated operation the previous day successfully transitioned all 154 residents of the Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard encampments into housing across six sites, including the Roundhouse Hotel, Envision Hotel, Willow, the Shattuck campus, and a newly created low-threshold section of the city's emergency shelter. Dr. Monica Burrell, the mayor's senior advisor who led the effort, said outreach workers had conducted daily trust-building engagement since at least December 16, including surveys of encampment residents December 6 through 8. Pine Street Inn President Lindia Downey said the organization has 240 units in the pipeline, including a fully funded 140-unit project at 3368 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain expected to break ground within a month. Boston Police Lieutenant Peter Messina confirmed one knife-fight incident was quickly de-escalated and that two recent deaths near New Market Square remain under active investigation with no public determination of cause.