Project ASSIST

(Assisting, Serving, Supporting in Stressful Times)

Hope, Help, & Recovery

For a short video about Project ASSIST, please click here

These are stressful times. The country is in economic crisis. People’s extreme reactions to the difficulties they face during this crisis have been compared to people's reactions to earthquakes or terrorist attacks. Long term unemployment and poverty during this period can trigger substance abuse and mental health issues.

In Fall River, our unemployment rate has doubled in the past two years; and has fluctuated between 14 and 18% in 2010. This rate is the highest in Massachusetts and among the highest in the country. During these years our population has become more vulnerable to issues like depression, drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety and violence.

Fall River was recently one of three cities in the Nation to receive a $5.6 million federal grant to aid members of our community coping with some of these problems due to the bad economy. The grant is called the Community Resiliency and Recovery Initiative and was awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

We tailored the grant to meet our community’s unique needs and created Fall River's Project ASSIST (Assisting, Serving, Supporting in Stressful Times). Different programs will be developed throughout the four-year grant cycle to help the community get through this difficult time.

Programs will be designed to be welcoming to people from different cultures and backgrounds. Key staff will be bilingual Portuguese and Spanish. Materials will be available in different languages. Intervention groups will be created to meet the needs of different communities.

For more information call 508-837-6957 or email Paula Beaulieu at pbeaulieu@sstar.org