Financial settlements with companies related to the harms caused by the opioid epidemic have brought millions of dollars into Massachusetts. Under the Massachusetts State-Subdivision Agreement, 40% of these funds go to municipalities for opioid abatement strategies and 60% go to the state’s Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund to fund additional prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programs throughout Massachusetts.
The City of New Bedford anticipates receiving about $8.9 million by FY2038 and is responsible for disbursing the municipal opioid abatement funds in accordance with the Massachusetts State Subdivision Agreement Abatement Terms. This agreement with the Attorney General’s Office was signed by all participating communities to govern the use of municipal funds received by the settlement. It requires municipalities to spend the funds within the seven listed strategies, center lived/living experience and equity, and submit an annual report (if receiving $35k+). It prohibits municipalities from supplanting existing opioid fund or utilizing funds for non-opioid related expenditures.
New Bedford’s Municipal Planning Team is led by the New Bedford Health Department (NBHD), with support from the Mayor’s Office, Greater New Bedford Opioid Task Force (GNBOTF) Executive Committee, and Care MA technical assistance. Feedback has also been provided by the Greater New Bedford Task Force, including through a voting survey in February 2025.
New Bedford has prepared a three-pronged approach to disburse an initial round of the municipal opioid abatement funds through the three funding streams below. This funding approach emphasizes evidence-informed projects, local impact, and sustainability, building on the strong foundation of the Greater New Bedford Opioid Task Force and the work of community partners. New Bedford commits to evaluating the funding amounts and specific funding strategies over time (yearly at a minimum).
1: Greater New Bedford Opioid Task Force (GNBOTF) Subcommittee Project Grants
Through a structured request process with the New Bedford Health Department, the GNBOTF Subcommittees (Prevention, Harm Reduction, Treatment, and Recovery, and/or cross-cutting) can access funds for projects that align with the strategies in the Massachusetts Abatement Terms. Subcommittees are responsible for preparing project plans, including budget materials, that demonstrate that the work aligns with the strategies listed in the Abatement Terms, is feasible, supported by evidence/need, will benefit the community, and fulfill reporting requirements associated with use of the abatement funds. Each subcommittee has a total budget of $15,000 for the first year of spending, starting in October 2025, and $10,000 in each following year. The New Bedford Health Department will partner with the subcommittees to refine, approve, execute, monitor, and close proposed projects and ensure funding needs are fulfilled.
The current Subcommittee projects are:
Recognizing that poverty and financial limitations are major barriers for many families in our community, the campaign makes prevention resources and no-cost family opportunities easy to access. By doing so, it promotes connection, reduces barriers to quality family time, and strengthens protective factors that lower youth risk for substance use. These efforts also ensure families are aware of and able to access available community resources.
Project Budget: $7,700
How do you get involved? Attend and participate in subcommittee meetings. Contact Karen.MacDonald@newbedford-ma.gov to join a subcommittee.
2: Community Organization Grants
Through an RFP process with the City of New Bedford, organizations have the opportunity to request funds for projects that address priority strategies identified in the New Bedford Opioid Abatement Funds Community Assessment (see below).
Community organizations are already equipped to provide impactful services/projects and have the capacity and infrastructure to accept and implement grant awards. Providing grant funding opportunities for local organizations will build on existing resources and provide positive benefits related to opioid misuse in New Bedford. This funding stream has the potential to provide sustainable funding over time.
An RFP was issued over the summer, inviting organizations to present their projects and apply for grant funding.
The organizations receiving the initial round of funding are:
1. HEALTH IMPERATIVES
Amount: $50,000
Strategy: Harm Reduction
Project Goal: Increase access to supplies, education, treatment and testing, as well as expand transportation to medical and social services.
Project Description:
Health Imperatives seeks to improve health outcomes for individuals affected by opioid use disorder through a comprehensive harm reduction and access strategy. The organization will expand its trauma-informed, recovery-oriented services by increasing access to naloxone, wound care supplies, drug test strips, and basic needs supplies, while also providing transportation to medical and social services. The initiative targets underserved populations and aims to reduce overdose deaths, infectious disease transmission, and barriers to treatment. They will provide overdose education, conduct outreach and services for people who use drugs and are not yet in treatment, and support navigation and linkages to community-based services including residential treatment and housing.
Health Imperatives has provided services to a growing population with complex health needs for 25 years at their 651 Orchard St. location in New Bedford. They offer prevention-focused sexual and reproductive health services, including pregnancy testing and birth control, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and Hepatitis C, HIV counseling and testing, HIV prevention medications, HPV vaccinations, annual exams, and cancer screenings. In 2022, they expanded their services to include treatment for Hepatitis C, medications to treat opioid and alcohol addiction disorders; and harm reduction services for people who use drugs. Their office has become a drop-in center for people needing a place to come inside during inclement weather, obtain some needed food and clothing, receive harm reduction services and supplies, and build trusted relationships with staff to discuss their substance use. They also conduct street outreach in New Bedford.
2. HIGH POINT TREATMENT CENTER
Amount: $150,000
Strategy: Community-Based Education or Intervention
Project Goal: Provide prevention, engagement and early intervention to youth and families.
Project Summary: High Point Treatment Center aims to expand community-based prevention and early intervention services for youth and families in New Bedford impacted by opioid use disorder. A newly hired therapeutic outreach mentor will lead both community engagement and mentoring efforts. The mentoring component of the project will target youth in school and community settings. Mentoring activities will create safe spaces for youth, promote positive role modeling, and build healthy coping skills to reduce risk factors for substance use. In addition to working with youth, High Point will conduct outreach and education with parents, families, and school staff to enhance understanding of substance use prevention and harm reduction. They will also serve as a bridge to High Point’s continuum of care and partner organizations, facilitating timely and seamless referrals through warm hand-offs for mental health and substance use services as needed. They will deliver High Point’s K-12 prevention curriculum within schools and in community settings, responding to requests for training and education.
High Point Treatment Center (High Point) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1996 with campuses in Brockton, New Bedford, and Plymouth, Massachusetts. High Point offers an extensive continuum of care with entry points for individuals at any stage of need, including inpatient detoxification, addiction rehabilitation, transitional support services, and dual diagnosis treatment. Prevention Services at High Point has been leading regional prevention efforts in Southeastern Massachusetts for over 20 years and utilizes the Strategic Prevention Framework to implement annual action plans in full compliance with state and federal funding requirements. Prevention Services staff currently manage regional prevention work across 11 cities and towns and support nine community coalitions consisting of 300+ active stakeholders. While New Bedford is a hub of services within High Point’s continuum of care, the city has not historically been the benefactor of their prevention work, so this is an important expansion of services.
3. SEVEN HILLS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Amount: $131,216
Strategy: Harm Reduction
Project Goal: Provide health services, harm reduction outreach, and referrals/navigation from mobile van
Project Summary: Seven Hills Behavioral Health’s “Project Be-Safe” is a mobile harm reduction initiative designed to address the urgent needs of individuals in New Bedford affected by opioid use disorder. The program will deploy culturally competent staff, including harm reduction specialists, peer navigators, and an LPN, to provide referrals and linkages to care, wound care supplies, overdose education, Naloxone distribution, infectious disease screening, and warm handoffs to treatment and support services. Operating from mobile units and a trusted drop-in center, the project prioritizes health equity and community engagement, serving individuals who are unhoused, justice-involved, or otherwise disconnected from traditional care systems. The team meets individuals where they are, physically and mentally, and assesses whether the individual is interested in accessing any resources or services at that time. Staff follow up and maintain engagement with individuals to ensure they can access the services. Through partnerships with local organizations and a trauma-informed approach, Project Be-Safe aims to reduce overdose deaths, improve physical health, and expand access to recovery resources across New Bedford.
With over 50 years of providing outreach, education, prevention, and recovery programs in the Southeast region of Massachusetts, Seven Hills Behavioral Health (SHBH) is a health and human services organization serving 29,000 (duplicated) individuals annually, providing a wide range of social and human services. In addition to mental health services, family support programs, educational programs for at-risk youth, and a tobacco-free community partnership program, SHBH is a leader in Southeastern Massachusetts providing Comprehensive Health Services including HIV/AIDS Prevention, Screening, Testing and Referral Services, HIV/AIDS Medical Case Management Programs and Overdose Prevention Education, and Naloxone Education and Enrollments. Since 2008, SHBH has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to provide Nasal Naloxone (Narcan) Opioid Overdose Prevention and Reversal in Southeastern Massachusetts.
4. STEPPINGSTONE, INCORPORATED
Amount: $81,899
Strategy: Connections to Care
Project Goal: Reduce the incidence of opioid overdose among high-risk youth.
Project Summary: Steppingstone’s FAIHR Youth Initiative (FYI) is a targeted, community-based program designed to reduce opioid overdose risk among transitional-age youth (16–24) in New Bedford, particularly those impacted by family opioid use, criminal justice involvement, or systemic inequities. With a full-time Youth Mentor Advocate, the initiative will conduct outreach, engage youth in community settings, and serve as a bridge to care. For eligible participants, FYI will follow the Critical Time Intervention (CTI) model, an evidence-based practice that will span approximately nine months, providing individualized case management and advocacy throughout. Participants will be connected to treatment, housing, education, employment, and recovery supports through warm handoffs and coordinated care. Collaborations with related programs such as the Peer-2-Peer Recovery Coach Project will enhance the benefits. The program aims to enroll at least 40 youth and achieve measurable improvements in substance use and well-being.
Steppingstone, Incorporated (SS) has been a licensed behavioral health treatment provider since 1972, offering a comprehensive continuum of care for individuals experiencing substance use and mental health disorders and homelessness. Currently, the agency provides 88 residential treatment beds, 100 HUD-funded supportive housing units, an emergency homeless shelter, peer-based services, case management, transitional sober housing, and criminal justice services. SS also operates two outpatient clinics primarily serving people with opioid use disorders in Fall River and New Bedford. SS’s experience serving New Bedford residents began in 1997 when it launched its first women’s treatment program. To improve integrated treatment, SS launched its first MAT program in 2018 in the City of New Bedford, which is still operational and located at 888 Purchase Street, where FYI will operate.
5. POSITIVE ACTION AGAINST CHEMICAL ADDICTION (PAACA)
Amount: $30,000
Strategy: Access to Treatment and Recovery
Project Goal: Increase the availability of transportation for people seeking treatment and recovery services.
Project Summary: PAACA’s program will expand transportation access for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) seeking treatment and recovery services. PAACA will provide transportation options that are not available through public transit, helping to eliminate a critical barrier to care. By leveraging and enhancing its existing transportation infrastructure, PAACA will increase the number of daily trips and expand service coverage across the area. This initiative will connect individuals who are currently disconnected from essential recovery resources and empower them to engage with the full range of services available in the community. Grant funds will be used to support the operating costs of vehicles dedicated to this effort.
PAACA is a consumer driven non-profit recovery community center providing recovery support services to all people in need without regard to income or insurance status in Greater New Bedford since 1983. PAACA offers people struggling with addiction/mental health and their families a broad range of support, prevention, harm reduction, housing, and employment. For more than 40 years, PAACA has served its clients holistically by providing comprehensive wrapround services addressing life’s biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and economic aspects. PAACA operates several enterprises to support its clients, including recovery support services, youth development, job training and employment, food/ clothing distribution, transportation, and housing services. PAACA prides itself on its links to the community and its history of successful collaboration with grassroots agencies.
6. SOUTHCOAST HEALTH
Amount: $65,000
Strategy: Support Pregnant/Post-Partum Women
Project Goal: Deliver peer-based services from the New Beginnings Center; and engaging participants through individual coaching, parenting groups, and recovery workshops.
Project Summary: The funded project will support a Peer Recovery Coach embedded within the New Beginnings Moms Do Care program to provide personalized support for pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). Through individualized coaching, recovery planning, parenting support, and community referrals, this role will enhance the program’s capacity to meet growing referral needs. The Peer Recovery Coach will facilitate both one-on-one and group-based sessions, helping clients develop recovery and parenting plans, participating in clinical case reviews, and coordinating with providers and support services. They will work closely with perinatal staff and behavioral health partners to ensure care plans and recovery goals are aligned and effectively supported.
The New Beginnings team regularly serves families in New Bedford, where rates of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and substance-exposed newborns remain among the highest in the state. The New Beginnings offices, where parenting groups and drop-in hours are held, are located in New Bedford. New Beginnings provides culturally responsive and trauma informed care coordination to these families, with the goal of increased rates of at-home placement and reduced hospital stays.
The selected projects represent a diverse range of services and populations, ensuring a comprehensive response to opioid misuse in the region. To maximize the funding allocation and diversity of projects, partial funding was awarded to support specific components of the PAACA and Southcoast Health proposals.
Future Opioid Abatement Community Grant RFPs are anticipated at least every other year.
3: Coalition and Funds Operations
To cover costs for coordination of the Greater New Bedford Opioid Task Force, direct costs for the annual Overdose Awareness Day event, and administration of municipal abatement funds.
To join the GNBOTF or support Overdose Awareness Day planning efforts, contact Karen.MacDonald@newbedford-ma.gov.