Long Island Bridge Closure Makes Plight Of Homeless 'Palpable'

Boston leaders are meeting Wednesday night to present proposals to shelter some 700 homeless residents displaced after last month's sudden closure of the only bridge to Long Island in Boston Harbor.

The island housed the city's largest homeless shelter and a substance abuse treatment program.

The city has since set up a temporary shelters, which many advocates criticize. They're asking the city to provide ferry service to the island so former residents can retrieve their belongings, and for more permanent housing options.

Jim Greene, director of Boston's Emergency Shelter Commission, says condemning the only bridge to the island has created several problems.

"This has made the precarious nature and the plight of the lives of homeless people very palpable and vivid, in a community that doesn't always see that in part because of the services that we provide," Greene said.

Listen to our full conversation with Jim Greene above.