The Mass and Cass working group has begun drafting plans to actually implement its new homelessness and addiction recovery framework, but with warm weather closing in it remains to be seen whether any of it can materialize before this year’s surge.

The action plan itself is the culmination of months of effort from a broad coalition of community activists, elected representatives and appointed officials. Published last month, it aims to both completely stop street drug use and accomplish that without sending nonviolent offenders into the criminal system.

The first half of that equation would be accomplished through effectively a zero tolerance policy, expanding the Boston Police Department’s (BPD) ‘s specialized N.E.S.T. teams and engagement by the city’s coordinated response team social workers.

Members of the working group objected to initial media interpretations of this as a crackdown, noting that while they do hope to increase enforcement, nonviolent offenders would be routed away from the conventional criminal justice system toward pre-arraignment specialty drug courts.

Surging enforcement personnel is perhaps the most easily accomplished policy change, with the mayor’s office in charge of both the BPD and coordinated response team. The mayor’s office declined to share any immediate details on implementation beyond thanking the working group and saying that “the city is focused on active preparations for warmer weather and continuing to engage with all stakeholders on our coordinated approach,” but District 3 City Councilor John Fitzgerald told The Boston Guardian those changes could begin essentially at will.

If those additional boots on the ground require additional funding, however, that would fall to the city council’s budgetary process. Fitzgerald was optimistic about its level of support but noted this year’s budget might not get a final vote until June.

“We’re trying to fit within an existing framework,” he said. “We’re not trying to go to providers and say, ‘run differently.’ We’re not trying to go to the courts and say, ‘do it differently.’ We’re trying to go to the process that exists and plug in the gaps.”

If it does go to a vote, it will have strong support from District 2 Councilor Ed Flynn as well.

“For years, whether it be at Mass & Cass, the Boston Common, or Downtown, I’ve repeatedly advocated that while we show compassion and offer treatment programs for our most vulnerable, there must be a zero tolerance approach from Boston Police when it comes to criminal activity impacting the public safety and quality of life of our residents,” he told The Boston Guardian in a statement. “Those that participate in open drug dealing, open drug use, violence, human trafficking, and shoplifting must be held accountable by our criminal justice system. I strongly support the recommendations outlined by the working group.”

The other main policy goal of the plan will be more complicated to accomplish. It calls for the establishment of new specialty drug courts servicing nonviolent drug users, diverting them away from ever entering the standard criminal justice system. Instead, they’d be sent toward treatment programs, with a robust network of individual case workers and support staff.

There’s already a precedent in the form of the city’s homelessness courts, specialty courts that have proven very effective in processing large numbers of minor infractions to help homeless residents clear warrants and get into support programs. Establishing new drug courts, however, would fall to the state legislature.

Representative John Moran, who represents most of the South End, is helping to lead that charge in the state House. He said establishing courts might not even require dedicated legislation. If it’s just a question of appropriating funds and coordinating with legal staff like state attorneys, the new courts could be ready to go when budget reconciliation finishes in June or July.

“Some parts of the budget are going to have to come from the city. Some parts have to come from the state. We spoke with the attorney general’s office about seeking funding sources from the opioid settlement funds,” Moran said. “We’re looking at what other grants are available. It’s going to be a lot of different sources. But we’re committed to making it happen.”

He said he expects to have a more concrete roadmap for implementation in a matter of weeks. If it turns out new courts would require dedicated legislation, it could take longer to move through drafting, sponsorship, committee oversight, voting in both the House and Senate, and eventually approval by the governor.

Even beyond those two core changes, there are plenty of other more specific recommendations in the action plan. It outlines reorganizing the existing coordinated response team, establishing individual case work teams, expanding the variety of recovery options and more. Both Fitzgerald and Moran emphasized that this is a modular plan and smaller components can be delivered piecemeal even as groundwork is being laid for the larger changes.