New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Program will assist adults, families, and youths in treatment and recovery by providing stable housing services to achieve self-sufficiency.
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced $8.2 million in funding to provide transitional or permanent housing for 1,000 individuals and 147 families in treatment and recovery from substance abuse disorders.
Thirty-six organizations across the Commonwealth will provide housing stability and support that reduces the risk of relapse, increases independent living skills and supports recovery. Specific services will be provided based on an individual’s specific needs but range from clinical intervention, medication assisted treatment (MAT), meetings and other supports. Those in treatment or who have relapsed would receive support services, including detoxification and MAT, to ensure there is no lapse or loss of housing while in treatment.
Additional services include care coordination, facilitation of access to benefits including health insurance, transportation, supported referrals to employment services, and on-site or community-based life skills training. Families enrolled in the program will also have access to child development and parenting skills workshops.
“When people in early recovery have access to safe and stable supportive housing, the risk of relapse is reduced,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “These funds will provide necessary supportive services for participants at a critical juncture in their treatment and path towards recovery.”
“Housing is essential for good health and addressing housing instability is crucial to enable individuals to access treatment and recovery services for substance use disorder,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. “These programs will assist adults, families and young people in establishing critical supports for recovery.”
Award recipients:
Transitional Housing:
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Boston/Brighton)
• The Brien Center (Pittsfield)
• Community Counseling of Bristol County (Taunton)
• GAAMHA, Inc. (Gardner, Athol, and Greenfield)
• Gandara Mental Health Center, Inc. (Springfield)
• John Ashford Link House (Amesbury)
• Lowell House (Lowell)
• Mental Health Association (Springfield)
• Our Father’s House (Fitchburg)
• SEMCOA (New Bedford)
• ServiceNet (Turner Falls)
• Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council (Worcester and Framingham)
• Steppingstone (New Bedford)
• Veterans Inc. (Worcester)
• YMCA of Greater Boston (Boston)
Permanent Housing:
• Action Inc. (Gloucester)
• Bay Cove Human Services (Somerville)
• Boston Public Health Commission (Boston)
• Bridgewell (Peabody)
• The Brien Center (Pittsfield)
• Casa Esperanza (Roxbury)
• Community Healthlink (Worcester)
• Father Bill’s & MainSpring Inc. (Brockton, Quincy, and Plymouth)
• GAAMHA (Gardner)
• Gandara (Holyoke)
• Heading Home (Charlestown)
• Institute for Health and Recovery (Lowell)
• Lynn Shelter Association (Lynn)
• The Megan House Foundation (Dracut)
• Mental Health Association (Hampden County)
• Pine Street Inn (Boston)
• SEMCOA (New Bedford)
• Somerville Homeless Coalition (Somerville)
• South Middlesex Opportunity Council (Worcester and Lowell)
• Steppingstone (Fall River)
• Victory Programs (Roxbury)
The grant award will continue until 2030 and will be funded through a combination of state appropriations, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development supportive service funding.
“As we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, housing is an integral component of healthcare and addiction recovery,” said Deirdre Calvert, Director of DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. “This program will augment DPH’s addiction outreach and recovery support efforts and build up the base of community-based supports that are necessary for people to maintain their progress in recovery.”
