Grant Will Allow Wayside to Enhance Internship Program
The following information was provided by the Wayside Youth and Family Support Network:
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Human Health Services (EOHHS) has awarded Wayside Youth and Family Support Network with a grant award of $580,500 under the Home and Community Based Services (HBCS) and Human Services Workforce Development Grant Program.
This grant funds increasing stipends for master level interns during their internship and the costs associated with these recruitment efforts for two years.
Wayside, like many human service agencies, looks to enhance our workforce as the demand for our services continues to outpace our ability to recruit and hire top talent employees, especially those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC). The demand for youth and young adult mental health services has dramatically increased due to the COVID-19 global health pandemic. Wayside continues to rapidly expand its services and geographic catchment areas. Wayside operates 22 sites across Central, Eastern, and Northern Massachusetts.
We have recently been awarded two new contracts, the Department of Mental Health (DMH) Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)- Youth contract for the Northeast and the DMH PACT-Youth contract for Central Mass which requires hiring 25 new staff. We have intentionally prioritized hiring a diverse workforce since 2016 when the agency made its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We continue to prioritize hiring BIPOC, master level counselors/clinicians/social workers to best serve and reflect our mission population.
“This is a transformational grant for the agency,” said Guimel DeCarvalho, Vice President of People and Culture and Chief Diversity Officer. “Currently, BIPOC mental health workers are disproportionately impacted in terms of completing their graduate degrees and advancing in their field due to the time and financial resources needed to complete unpaid internships. With this support we can continue prioritizing the hiring of BIPOC master level counselors, clinicians, and social workers.”
About Wayside
Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency dedicated to Building Strength, Hope and Resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth, and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts.
