New effort brings help right to Boston neighborhoods hit hard by overdose crisis

BOSTON —

A recovery center that's been on the frontlines of Boston's substance use crisis for decades is now getting new help to take the fight right to the streets.

The dedicated team behind Boston Metro Alive knows firsthand what addiction can do to people and families — many of them have lived it.

"When you're stuck down in a deep, dark hole and somebody shines a light and puts a pathway for you to get out of that hole, it's your obligation, your responsibility to be that same light for somebody else to come out of that hole," said Lovlee Harvey, a recovery coach at the center.

Harvey knows the struggle because he was in that hole himself.

"Homeless, helpless, hopeless and not caring about tomorrow," Harvey said. "I ended up in the wheelchairs and in the hospitals and the prisons