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
- Mental health help for community youthResident asks for mental health support for youth, arguing that helping them now leads to stable adults.2024–25City-wide
- Youth mental health support and affordable housingResident asks for mental health resources and contracts for young people and families who can't afford therapy, plus affordable housing, and urges using the full $5 million.2024–25Dorchester
- Youth mental health grants; use full $5 millionResident asks for resources and grants for youth mental health care and for spending the full $5 million participatory budgeting fund rather than $2 million.2024–25City-wide
- Youth mental health grants and contractsResident asks that the full participatory budgeting funds go to grants and contracts so youth programs can provide mental health support to young people.2024–25City-wide
- Smoking harm reduction awareness campaignResident asks for a public health campaign and separate store displays for FDA-authorized modified risk tobacco products to promote smoking harm reduction in low-income communities and communities of color.2024–25City-wide
- Grants for mental health supports in youth programsProvide grants so youth programs can connect young people to mental health supports and increase capacity and access to resources.2024–25City-wide
- Community responders for 911 mental health callsResident asks for funding for trained community responders to handle 911 mental health calls instead of police, to reduce the risk of violent encounters.2024–25City-wide
- Youth mental health services and housing for at-risk youthResident asks for more youth mental health resources and more affordable housing for at-risk and unhoused youth, citing pandemic and housing crisis impacts.2024–25City-wide
- Mental health support in youth programs and affordable housingResident proposes mental health support within youth programs along with affordable housing.2024–25City-wide
- Free mental health support for youth of colorResident asks for free mental health support for youth of color regardless of income, to counter stigma and give them resources for a healthier future.2024–25City-wide
- Non-police youth mental health crisis supportResident asks for youth mental health support, including community-led non-police crisis response and grants to community organizations, because Black and Brown youth are often policed during crises.2024–25City-wide
- Grants for mental health support in youth programsResident asks for grants to provide mental health support within youth programs.2024–25City-wide
- Mental health support resources for youth programsResident asks for grants and training so youth programs can offer mental health support, including one-on-one work, as an alternative to police-based responses.2024–25City-wide
- Non-police community mental health crisis responseResident asks for community-based mental health crisis response without police or weapons, since disabled people and people of color are disproportionately harmed by militarized responses.2024–25City-wide
- Community-based mental health crisis responseResident asks for a community-based mental health crisis response so Black and Brown individuals get help from people who understand their experiences.2024–25City-wide
- Community education on non-police mental health crisis responseResident asks for public education about non-police mental health crisis response models, noting communities of color face greater harm when 911 is called and Boston lacks an alternative.2024–25City-wide
- Fund youth groups for youth mental health supportResident asks the City to spend the full $5 million participatory budget and give grants and contracts to youth groups providing community mental health support for young people.2024–25City-wide
- Mentoring and support for single mothersResident, a single mother, asks for mentoring, groups and activities for single mothers, especially those who lost loved ones to gun violence, as no such resources exist.2024–25City-wide
- More long-term drug treatment and recovery centersResident asks for more drug treatment and recovery centers, staff and data-driven, long-term support with jobs and resources, citing the link between trauma, mental illness, homelessness and overdose.2024–25City-wide