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

BOSTON (AP) — Boston officials say a new plan to address homelessness includes giving police the power to remove tents and other makeshift shelters at an intersection where a sprawling encampment for the homeless has sprung up. Mayor Michelle Wu and other city officials announced the plan 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 increasing violence. No tents would be taken down before the people living in them have been offered the proper help. The proposal requires city council approval.