Boston announces new plan to rid city of homeless encampment, get residents help

Police would be given the power to remove tents and other makeshift shelters at a Boston intersection that’s become home to a sprawling encampment for the homeless, many of whom struggle with mental health issues and substance abuse disorder, Mayor Michelle Wu and other city officials announced Friday.

The plan also calls for a new short-term shelter for up to 30 people in the area known as Mass and Cass.

The encampment at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard has become a haven for drug use and…