New Funding to Develop MetroWest Housing Coalition, Addressing Systemic Barriers and Advancing Health Equity Over the Next 5 Years
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (September 23, 2024) – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has announced the 2024 recipients of the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds. Among the grantees are Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest (BHPMW) and 26 other organizations, who will work with over 40 community partners—including non-profits, municipalities, and coalitions—to advance health equity.
Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest, alongside the other funded organizations, is dedicated to disrupting barriers to health; increasing awareness and addressing the impact of structural racism on population health; and creating long-term, meaningful changes in health outcomes and opportunities for healthy aging.
The ~$15.8M in grants will support 26 lead organizations and more than 40 of their partner organizations implementing strategies, impacting 458 cities and towns across the state. Recognizing the complex ways in which systems impact health, the investments will support a wide range of activities across the Commonwealth. Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest and its MetroWest Care Connection Hub will use their grant funds to support the continued development of a regional Housing Coalition.
“Housing is a critical yet basic need for all individuals and families. This coalition is another important resource to address this need within the region.” – Susan Gentili, President & CEO of South Middlesex Opportunity Council
Over the next 5 years, the Housing Coalition will:
- Diversify its membership to include residents with lived experiences of housing insecurity and oppression in the MetroWest region, particularly in the City of Framingham and nearby towns.
- Advocate for policy changes at local and state levels to improve access to affordable housing and related resources.
- Launch a local Peer Housing Specialist pilot program to support residents from historically marginalized communities and enhance their access to housing resources.
- Enhance the functionality of the Housing Toolkit to improve accessibility and user experience.
BHPMW is hiring a Community Organizer to assist its current team with this work. This position involves working closely with community members and stakeholders to identify community needs, advocate for policy changes, and build resident capacity.
“By deepening our collaboration with residents and local leaders, we aim to create a more inclusive and equitable community where everyone has access to safe, affordable housing and the opportunity to thrive. This investment will enable us to address the root causes of disparities and build a healthier, more resilient MetroWest for years to come,” says Robert Hallion, Executive Director of BHPMW.
The Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds invests in initiatives in three core areas of focus including those:
- Working on long-lasting, community-driven policy, systems, and environmental changes that will make it easier to lead healthy lives and which will reduce health inequities such as racial patterns of segregation in communities and a lack of affordable housing production;
- Organizing and coordinating Community Health Improvement Planning efforts which convene multi-sector partnerships to collectively set and address community health goals, and;
- Working to address policies and systems that increase opportunities for healthy aging.
About Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest and MetroWest Care Connection
Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest (BHPMW) is a partnership of four leading social services and behavioral health agencies serving the Greater MetroWest region of Massachusetts. Together, Advocates, South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), Spectrum Health Systems, and Wayside Youth & Family Support Network encompass expertise in mental health, substance use and addiction, housing, and social supports for people of all ages.
MetroWest Care Connection (MWCC), part of BHPMW, is a health and social services hub to better connect people to the services and supports they need to thrive in their community. MWCC collaborates with healthcare providers, social services, and other community stakeholders to make local healthcare and social services more accessible, coordinated, efficient, and effective for individuals and families. To learn more, visit MetroWest Care Connection.
About The Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds
The Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds (The Funds) were created in January 2017 when DPH completed a landmark revision of its Determination of Need (DoN) regulation, which authorized the creation of these Funds. DPH provides overall guidance to the Funds and Health Resources in Action, Inc. acts as a fiduciary and implementing partner. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) partners with DPH to support the Healthy Aging Fund. The Funds are committed to disrupting and removing barriers to health–structural and institutional racism, poverty, and deep power imbalances–through community-centered policy, systems, and environmental change approaches. To learn more, visit https://mahealthfunds.org/.