Project Grant H79SM091409

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $749,999 to the University of Massachusetts Medical School on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) for a five-year capacity-building project implementing behavioral health and community safety partnerships.

The project serves youth aged 12 to 25 in Hampden and Bristol Counties, Massachusetts, with a multi-disciplinary Behavioral Health and Community Safety Coalition (BH-CSC) serving four populations: youth affected by violence at risk for later violence engagement; youth referred to or already involved in justice or behavioral health systems; youth encountering law enforcement through crisis calls; and unaccompanied homeless youth. Deliverables include implementing and testing the feasibility of two evidence-based early intervention programs; bolstering peer support, crisis intervention, and post-trauma response capacity; strengthening referral pathways from schools, law enforcement, and hospitals to evidence-based early intervention and violence prevention services; increasing access to recovery and resiliency services; and devising youth homelessness solutions. The BH-CSC will leverage funding streams to maintain youth and family access to evidence-based violence-reduction programs. In years 4 and 5, the project will use implementation science methods to scale capacity-building activities to additional Massachusetts counties.

Performance occurs in Worcester, Massachusetts. The award period runs through September 29, 2031.