South End residents have formed the Mass and Cass Political Action Committee to inform voters of moves made by city council candidates surrounding the public health and safety issues plaguing the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard — also known as Mass and Cass.

The committee is funded by grassroots donations, according to a statement to The Daily Free Press from the PAC. 

“The goal of this organization is to educate residents about the positions held by their elected officials and candidates for office as it relates to the issues facing residents, business owners, and those suffering from addiction in our community,” the statement reads. 

The PAC sent a questionnaire to 13 city councilor candidates, asking them whether they would declare a public health and safety emergency at Mass and Cass, support the establishment of safe consumption sites in the area and push for funding for recovery and safety services, according to a social media post on the PAC’s account Oct. 3. 

The PAC plans to send out scorecards for each of the candidates — which will include answers to the questions — to thousands of residents in Lower Roxbury and the South End before the election.

“Honestly, as pressing an issue as this is and despite how many people are impacted and suffering, some residents are not clear on the approach and commitment of many elected officials,” the statement reads. 

Mass and Cass has been a Boston hotspot for open drug use and homeless encampments for years. Some claim the opioid crisis hit the intersection in 2014, when the Long Island Bridge closed down and severed the flow of addiction services between Moon Island and Long Island, according to the Boston Globe.

“There wasn’t the space or the facilities in order to support people’s addiction recovery, mental health and job training [and] support overall for next steps for people that are experiencing homelessness,” Carrie Coughlin, executive director of Friends of Boston’s Homeless, said. 

At a city council hearing in September, South End residents claimed the situation at Mass and Cass remained dire.

District 2 City Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents a significant chunk of the South End, filed a resolution to declare a public health emergency at the intersection earlier this year. 

Flynn said the city would benefit from ramped-up police efforts in the downtown area and around Mass and Cass and a zero tolerance policy for criminal activity, including open drug use and dealing. 

“I know the devastating impact the open drug dealing and drug use is having on public safety and the quality of life for residents and families,” Flynn said.

Coughlin, who attended the September hearing, expressed concerns over the potential declaration of a public safety emergency. 

“We have to be very careful in this environment to paint with a broad brush any kind of emergency, particularly when our federal government is declaring emergencies every day and using that as a process to trample the rights of people living in our communities,” she said.

Coughlin said she extends her empathy to residents affected daily by drug issues at the intersection, which also extends to the unhoused population in the area lacking access to adequate support.

“There’s not the process to give people the support they need, whether it’s mental health issues or addiction recovery issues,” Coughlin said.