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
- Youth addiction prevention programResident asks for a program to prevent addiction among young people, promoting equality for low-resource communities.2024–25City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Address early youth addiction and vapingResident is concerned about very early addiction among young people, including e-cigarettes and addictive substances, and wants the community to unite to address it regardless of race or color.2024–25East BostonSubmitted in Spanish
- Addiction education for youth and parentsResident asks for programs that teach young people and their parents about addiction and how to support youth, accessible to low-income communities and people of color.2024–25City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Substance use prevention education for parentsResident asks for an educational program for parents or guardians to help prevent substance use among youth, supporting the community regardless of race or color.2024–25City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Safe consumption sites for people who use drugsResident asks for safe consumption sites to give people who use drugs dignity, safety, resources and treatment options.2024–25City-wide
- Trauma and substance use recovery programsResident says programs supporting people healing from trauma and substance abuse should be prioritized because there are too few rehabilitation and quality therapy services.2024–25City-wide
- Youth mental health resource centersResident asks for mental health resource centers for youth so young people can work through trauma and stay out of trouble.2024–25Dorchester
- Free mental health and substance abuse centersResident asks for free community mental health and substance abuse health centers with programs and a useful itinerary for people to follow.2024–25Roxbury
- More mental health services on my streetResident wants more access to mental health services, believing they are connected to community violence and can reduce it.2024–25Dorchester
- Substance use prevention and rehab programs for youthResident asks for programs, possibly in schools, supporting families and youth to prevent substance use and help those already using with rehabilitation.2024–25City-wide
- Meeting space for addiction support groupsResident asks for a place to hold addiction recovery meetings, benefiting people of color, low-income and immigrant residents.2024–25City-wide
- Mental health resources for low-income youthProvide mental health resources for low-income young people, immigrants and people of color.2024–25City-wide
- Invest in mental health and regulate cannabis shopsInvest resources in mental health services and add controls on cannabis dispensaries, to benefit people of color and low-income residents.2024–25City-wide
- Promote youth mental health programsPromote mental health programs for young people in general.2024–25City-wide
- More mental health programs for youthCreate more mental health programs for all young people in Boston.2024–25City-wide
- Mental health services for young peopleImplement mental health services for all young people in Boston.2024–25City-wide
- Local and mobile mental health services for returning residentsResident asks for more mental health clinics and services in communities that need them for people coming home from prison, including mobile clinics and home visits.2024–25City-wide
- Mental health and substance abuse services for returning residentsResident asks for mental health and substance abuse services for formerly incarcerated people, who are often sidelined from needed resources, leading to mental breakdown.2024–25City-wide
- Shift funds from law enforcement to mental healthResident asks to move funding from law enforcement and prisons toward mental health programs and clinics, prioritizing rehabilitation.2024–25City-wide
- Harm reduction resources including safe injection sitesResident asks for harm reduction resources such as safe injection sites.2024–25City-wide