Essex County Outreach offers sober housing scholarships and support for those in need of assistance. Unfortunately, we can only assist residents of Essex County at this time. Fill out the housing application below. As of Wednesday, April 2, 2025, due to overwhelming requests, we need to temporarily suspend the housing scholarship.
Below are some additional opportunities for sober living scholarships.
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Pelican Fund | |
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MVPASAP | |
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The Joey Domenici Foundation | |
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Chucky’s Fight | |
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Society of St. Vincent de Paul | |
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Herren Project | |
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Greater Waltham Recovery Solutions | |
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The Family Restored | |
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Rise Again, Sabrina Best Foundation | |
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Think of Michael Foundation |
See this list of free programs in our area.
Below is helpful information for finding free or low cost treatment.
Free Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts
To find a rehab program that truly extends free or very low-cost treatment, you’ll need to look at a few identifying factors of the program. First, verify the funding source (i.e. if they accept Medicaid or are funded by the state). Then, check to see if they offer free services that meet your needs.
How to Get Free Treatment
Free and low-cost treatment is available with three options in Massachusetts. These include:
- Health coverage through MassHealth
- Charity, faith-based groups, or non-profit
- State-funded organizations
Massachusetts Medicaid
The first option, Medicaid, is available for low-income individuals and families in the state.
You might be eligible for Medicaid if you are:
- Parent of children younger than 19 years of age
- Caretaker relative, or the spouse of that caretaker relative
- Child younger than 19 years of age
- Young adult 19 or 20 years of age
- Adult 21 through 64 years of age
- Pregnant
- Disabled
- HIV-positive
- Breast or cervical cancer patient
Medicaid covers a range of medical services, including treatment for mental health and substance abuse. Many facilities accept Medicaid for treatment coverage, but not all services are covered.
You may have a copay with MassHealth, but the copay can’t exceed 2% of your monthly household income each month. There are no copays for medications used to treat addiction.
Charities and Government Funding
The other two options are free treatment as provided by non-profits and government-funded organizations.
Many rehab facilities source their funding directly from the government, and you may also secure government funds with a block grant. You can get addiction treatment either fully covered by donation or government-based funds, or mostly covered with low-cost options.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides many block grants annually, which can be used to pay for drug abuse treatment.
Treatment Services Covered by Free Facilities in Massachusetts
After you’ve determined the funding source, you’ll need to verify that the treatment program provides the service you need for free.
Some substance use disorder treatment centers offer certain programs free, some at full price, and some others have all services fully comped.
In general, you can find the following treatment services at free and low-cost facilities:
- Behavioral therapy, including group, family, and individual therapy
- Peer support groups
- Outpatient programs (OP)
- Intensive outpatient programs (IOP)
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
- Residential rehabilitation
- Specialized residential programs for youth, families, and women
- Opioid abuse treatment
- Treatment for gambling addiction
- Inpatient rehab programs
- Medication management
- Detoxification