Newton anti-homeless efforts yield drop in disturbances, violations

The town of Newton recently released statistics through the first portion of its Homeless Task Force Sprint—a 90-day housing first–aligned initiative developed in partnership with the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and implemented with Samaritan Inn, Family Promise, Zufall Health, the Newton Police Department and others.

Outcomes of the 55-day pre- and post-sprint comparison, as compiled by Newton police and made public in a Dec. 10 press release, are as follows:

• A 40 percent reduction in disturbances (from 135 to 81 incidents)
• A 92 percent reduction in ordinance violations (from 39 to 3 violations)
• A 2.3 percent decrease in calls for service (from 4,517 to 4,467)

Newton police Sgt. Russell Post attributes the shift to coordination among law enforcement, health providers, outreach workers and municipal leadership.

“These metrics show that when you pair housing-focused strategies with unified, on the-ground coordination, communities feel the impact immediately,” Post said. “The sprint created the structure we needed to intervene early, reduce repeat activity, and respond more effectively.”

The DCA praised the effort.

“Behind these metrics are real people whose paths are changing because the community came together in the right way,” said Michael Callahan, director of the Office of Homelessness Prevention at DCA. “Newton has proven that when we lead with housing, dignity and coordinated support, we create safer neighborhoods and stronger relationships between residents, service providers, and local government. This is the kind of local leadership that moves the entire state forward.”

According to the release, Newton and DCA will aim to build on the sprint’s early success and continue to keep the public informed.