Mental health & substance use
Counseling, crisis response, addiction treatment and prevention for all ages.
Residents consistently ask for accessible, culturally responsive mental health support, youth-focused care and substance use prevention, and recovery services in their own neighborhoods, many as alternatives to policing.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
159 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 64 | 5.3% | 8 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 60 | 5.0% | 7 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 35 | 2.6% | 16 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Youth mental health support
Residents want free, accessible mental health programs, counseling and resources for children, teens and young adults, in schools, youth programs and neighborhoods.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Youth substance use prevention
Residents want free education and prevention programs that keep young people away from drugs and vaping, and help for youth already struggling with addiction.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Treatment and recovery programs
Residents ask for more rehab, halfway housing, recovery centers and recovery-centered social spaces that support long-term recovery and reintegration.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Free, culturally and linguistically responsive counseling
Residents want free or low-cost counseling, support groups and education delivered in their own languages and communities, to overcome cost, stigma and trust barriers.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Non-police crisis response
Residents ask for a community-based mental health crisis response or helpline, staffed by trained responders rather than police.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26
2024–25
Most ideas focused on youth mental health grants and non-police crisis response, with additional asks for drug treatment, harm reduction, safe consumption sites and services for people returning from incarceration.
2025–26
Chinatown dominated, with many ideas for Cantonese and Mandarin counseling, stigma-reduction talks, peer groups and elder outreach, alongside youth drug prevention and rehab asks.
2026–27
Fewer ideas overall, centered on free multilingual counseling and resource centers, recovery and halfway housing (including Mass and Cass), and continued funding for Torchlight Recovery Cafe.
New in 2026–27
New or growing asks include halfway housing and recovery programs tied to Mass and Cass, funding for Torchlight Recovery Cafe, social events for people in recovery, support groups for widows and new fathers, and peer specialists for immigrants affected by enforcement.
Funding so far
No winning projects related to this theme were funded by resident vote, so every recurring ask, including youth mental health, prevention, recovery programs, multilingual counseling and non-police crisis response, remains unaddressed through the vote.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
No winning project has addressed this theme yet.
Departments that often lead this work
- Boston Public Health Commission
- BCYF
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Mental health & substance use
159 ideas
2024–25: 64 · 2025–26: 60 · 2026–27: 35
- Expand residential substance abuse rehab programsResident asks to expand or create residential rehab programs to help vulnerable people move from detox to long-term recovery.2025–26City-wide
- Mental health, single-mother support, and ecological gardensResident asks for mental health support, help for single mothers caring for their children, and ecological community gardens.2025–26East Boston
- Community halls for connection and mental healthResident asks for community halls to build community and support mental health for everyone.2025–26East Boston
- More mental health programs for Hispanic communityResident asks for more mental health programs for everyone in the Hispanic community, for social equity.2025–26East Boston
- Healing-centered engagement training for community membersResident asks for funding to train community members, such as those in barbershops, churches and schools, in healing-centered engagement to boost social-emotional support and community connection.2025–26City-wide
- Community mental health spaces for connectionResident asks for mental health spaces where community members can talk and share, so people feel more connected to each other and can support one another in person.2025–26City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Classes on vaping and drug use for youthOffer classes teaching kids the consequences of drug use and vaping, which the resident sees as a major problem among Boston teens and young children.2025–26City-wide
- Intensive anti-drug programs in all BPS schoolsProvide an intensive anti-drug system in every BPS school for adolescents struggling with substances, as vaping spreads among students as young as 7th grade and harms their wellbeing.2025–26City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Drug-free environments in apartment complexesThe resident wants apartment complexes free of drug activity and smells so people can live in a healthy home environment.2025–26City-wide
- Free youth programs on substance use preventionResident asks for free programs for young people that educate them about substance use and help prevent it.2025–26City-wide
- Fund East Boston youth drug prevention programsResident asks for funding for East Boston youth programs that prevent drug use among young people.2025–26Downtown
- Non-punitive helpline for people needing help on streetResident asks for a phone number to call when someone on the street needs help, connecting them to resources in a non-punitive way.2025–26City-wide
- Art-based recovery program led by artists in recoveryResident proposes ARTxRecovery, offering art therapy, peer mentorship, job training and public showcases led by artists in recovery to help people facing addiction and reduce stigma.2025–26Roxbury
- Youth drug-prevention programs in East BostonResident asks for funding for East Boston youth programs that prevent drug use among young people.2025–26East BostonSubmitted in Spanish
- Expand health and mental wellness programsResident asks to expand health programs, especially mental wellness, in neighborhoods.2025–26City-wide
- Hire more therapistsResident asks for more therapists to be available.2024–25Dorchester
- Youth drug use prevention programsResident is worried about substance use among young people and asks for more prevention programs and places where youth can get information about drugs.2024–25East Boston
- Free relationship and mental health crisis hotlineResident asks for a hotline offering free relationship therapy and rapid response to mental health and relationship crises as an alternative to police.2024–25City-wide
- Drop-in mental health clinic for teensResident asks for a drop-in clinic in a safe space staffed by mental health professionals and social workers so teens and young adults can get support without a traditional clinic commitment.2024–25City-wide
- Youth drug use prevention programResident asks for a youth program to prevent drug use that is accessible to low-income communities.2024–25City-wideSubmitted in Spanish