Boston City Council Hears Testimony on $362,809 in Mental Health Police Grants

BOSTON — November 18, 2025 — Boston City Council hears testimony on three state grants totaling $362,809 for BPD mental health programs. At a joint hearing of the Committee on Public Health, Homelessness, and Recovery and the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice, chaired by Councilors John FitzGerald and Henry Santana respectively, BPD Deputy Director Jenna Savage and Street Outreach Unit Commander Lieutenant Peter Messina testified in support of Dockets 1346, 1661, and 1662, funded by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. The largest grant, $262,809.86, sustains a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team training program that has reached approximately 270 currently active officers; an $80,000 co-response grant would fund a single full-time recovery coach through the BEST program, a position that has been vacant since Kelly Young departed; and a $20,000 grant covers backfill overtime so officers can attend trainings without gaps in coverage. Savage warned that DMH budgets are "tightening" and federal grant sources have "dried up," making the annual state awards increasingly critical. No votes were taken; both chairs signaled they expect to bring the grants to the full council at its next meeting.