The Bridge to Recovery: The Dispute over Access to Housing & Substance Use Treatment Services on Boston Harbor’s Long Island

{ "name": "The Bridge to Recovery: The Dispute over Access to Housing & Substance Use Treatment Services on Boston Harbor\u2019s Long Island", "description": "*To RSVP for this event, please email Professor Kevin Doran* \n(kdoran@anselm.edu [1])\n\nThe Sociology and Social Work Department (with sponsorship from the Criminal \nJustice and Psychology departments) are excited to offer two event on April \n10 offered by Joe Silcox (Sociology \u201917). Joe is currently a PhD candidate \nat UMass Boston and a Research Associate II in The Heller School for Social \nPolicy and Management at Brandeis University where he works in the Opioid \nPolicy Research Collaborative. Prior to his work in The Heller School, Joe \nwas a project manager for the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery \nInitiative, an organization that provides training and support to law \nenforcement to encourage pathways to recovery that do not involve the arrest \nof those suffering from addition. He also worked as a research assistant for \nthe UMASS Boston Metro Mayor Coalition as a Local Action Research Partner.\n\nThe first event is an information session with Joe for students who are \ninterested in careers in either applied social science research, addiction \nservices policy, or public health policy in general. This event will be held \nin President\u2019s Dining Room in Davison Hall from 12:30-1:20. Joe will use \nhis years of experience as an applied qualitative researcher and his work \ndirectly with public health programs to provide insights and advice to \nstudents who are interested in careers in these fields. Pizza and \nrefreshments will be provided.\u00a0\n\nAt 4:30pm in the Student Center Melucci Theater Joe will present his research \nin a talk titled \u201cThe Bridge to Recovery: The Dispute over Access to \nHousing & Substance Use Treatment Services on Boston Harbor\u2019s Long \nIsland.\u201d See Joe\u2019s brief description of the talk below. We are excited to \nhave Joe back on campus and looking forward to what promises to be a very \ninteresting research presentation. We hope that you will be able to join us \nto welcome him back to The Hilltop.\n\n*Description of talk:* \u201cIn 2014, the closure of the Long Island Bridge in \nBoston Harbor cut off access to substance use treatment and housing resources \nfor Boston residents. The closure's impact was worsened by the increasing \nprevalence of fentanyl in Massachusetts and the emergence of the COVID-19 \npandemic. Closing the bridge contributed to the development of what is now \nknown as the 'Mass and Cass' neighborhood - an area in Boston well known for \nopen-air drug use and a high visibility of homelessness. Tensions persisted \naround the closure, notably in Quincy, a neighboring city, where the \nrebuilding of the bridge and restoration of services on Long Island lacked \nsupport, often viewed as a problem solely for Boston. This presentation will \ndelve into the sociological and public health implications of the bridge \nclosure, governmental responses, and ongoing discussions regarding the \npotential reopening of the bridge and the treatment facility.\u201d\n\n\n[1] mailto:kdoran@anselm.edu\n", "startDate": "2024-04-10", "startTime": "12:30", "endDate": "2024-04-10", "endTime": "13:20", "label": "Add to Calendar", "options": [ "Apple", "Google", "iCal", "Microsoft365", "MicrosoftTeams", "Outlook.com", "Yahoo" ], "timeZone": "America\/New_York", "trigger": "click", "listStyle": "modal", "iCalFileName": "anselm-event-15566", "location": "Jean Student Center" }

The Bridge to Recovery: The Dispute over Access to Housing & Substance Use Treatment Services on Boston Harbor’s Long Island

In Person

April 10, 2024

12:30 pm EDT - 1:20 pm EDT

Location: Jean Student Center

To RSVP for this event, please email Professor Kevin Doran (kdoran@anselm.edu)

The Sociology and Social Work Department (with sponsorship from the Criminal Justice and Psychology departments) are excited to offer two event on April 10 offered by Joe Silcox (Sociology ’17). Joe is currently a PhD candidate at UMass Boston and a Research Associate II in The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University where he works in the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative. Prior to his work in The Heller School, Joe was a project manager for the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, an organization that provides training and support to law enforcement to encourage pathways to recovery that do not involve the arrest of those suffering from addition. He also worked as a research assistant for the UMASS Boston Metro Mayor Coalition as a Local Action Research Partner.

The first event is an information session with Joe for students who are interested in careers in either applied social science research, addiction services policy, or public health policy in general. This event will be held in President’s Dining Room in Davison Hall from 12:30-1:20. Joe will use his years of experience as an applied qualitative researcher and his work directly with public health programs to provide insights and advice to students who are interested in careers in these fields. Pizza and refreshments will be provided.

At 4:30pm in the Student Center Melucci Theater Joe will present his research in a talk titled “The Bridge to Recovery: The Dispute over Access to Housing & Substance Use Treatment Services on Boston Harbor’s Long Island.” See Joe’s brief description of the talk below. We are excited to have Joe back on campus and looking forward to what promises to be a very interesting research presentation. We hope that you will be able to join us to welcome him back to The Hilltop.

Description of talk: “In 2014, the closure of the Long Island Bridge in Boston Harbor cut off access to substance use treatment and housing resources for Boston residents. The closure's impact was worsened by the increasing prevalence of fentanyl in Massachusetts and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Closing the bridge contributed to the development of what is now known as the 'Mass and Cass' neighborhood - an area in Boston well known for open-air drug use and a high visibility of homelessness. Tensions persisted around the closure, notably in Quincy, a neighboring city, where the rebuilding of the bridge and restoration of services on Long Island lacked support, often viewed as a problem solely for Boston. This presentation will delve into the sociological and public health implications of the bridge closure, governmental responses, and ongoing discussions regarding the potential reopening of the bridge and the treatment facility.”