About Project NORTH

Project NORTH (Navigation, Outreach, Recovery, Treatment, and Hope) is a free, grant-funded service managed by the Massachusetts Trial Court and the Massachusetts Probation Service.

Main components of Project NORTH include voluntary court-based Recovery Support Navigation, short-term transportation assistance to relevant services, and short-term assistance with rent in a certified and participating sober house.

Locations

There are 15 Project NORTH Courts:

• Barnstable
• Boston
• Brockton
• Chelsea
• Fall River
• Haverhill
• Lawrence
• Lowell
• Lynn
• New Bedford
• Pittsfield
• Quincy
• Springfield
• Taunton
• Worcester

Contact a Recovery Support Navigator

What is Recovery Support Navigation?

Recovery Support Navigation is a free, confidential, and voluntary service for court-involved people impacted by substance use. Navigation is provided by licensed treatment providers located across the state who assist individuals and loved ones with:

• Understanding the evaluation, treatment, recovery support, family support, and overdose prevention resources available in the community
• Assistance with MassHealth enrollment and adjustment
• Accessing treatment and support services, including prescribers for addiction and psychiatric medications
• Developing personal goals and objectives related to substance use, treatment, and recovery
• Short-term care management and connections to long-term and comprehensive care coordination services

Eligibility and Referrals

Recovery Support Navigation services are available to court users involved with any court department. Court users and their loved ones do not need to have an open case or be on probation to access Recovery Support Navigation services.

Court users who need transportation or sober housing support must have an open case or have court involvement that is current or within the past year.

Participation in Project NORTH is voluntary. Referrals may come from Trial Court staff, Defense Counsel, and the District Attorney’s office. Individuals may self-refer. Walk-ins are welcome.

Sober Housing

Project NORTH is a Recovery Support Navigation program with limited resources for certified sober housing for eligible clients. Sober housing funds through Project NORTH are managed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing and the Massachusetts Probation Service. Individuals who need assistance with sober housing must:

• Meet with a Navigator in-person for an intake to ensure that the individual meets the Project NORTH and sober house eligibility requirements.
• Agree to communicate with the Recovery Support Navigator regularly after intake.

Sober housing resources will be available until grant funding is expended.

This project is supported by Grant No. 2020-AR-BX-0038 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.