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.

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

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 

Sober housing

Project NORTH is a Recovery Support Navigation program with limited resources for short-term assistance with rent in a certified and participating sober house for eligible individuals. Sober housing funds through Project NORTH are managed in collaboration with the Massachusetts Alliance for Sober Housing and the Massachusetts Probation Service.

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

Transportation

Short-term transportation resources are available to help eligible individuals get from court to treatment, recovery support, and overdose prevention services.

Eligibility and referrals

Recovery Support Navigation services are available to court users and family members impacted by substance use and involved with any court department. Individuals do not need to have an open case or be on probation to access Recovery Support Navigation services.

Court users who need sober housing or transportation support must have an open case or have court involvement that is current or within the past year at a Project NORTH court. Individuals are required to meet with a Navigator for an in-person intake to ensure that they meet the sober housing and transportation eligibility requirements.

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

Download the Project NORTH Spanish brief

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.