Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Awarded $121,000 Grant to Expand Behavioral Health Services in Southern Worcester County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418
[email protected]
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. July 14, 2026 — Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has been awarded a $121,000 Activation Fund grant from The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts to support furnishings and equipment for a new, expanded Charlton Community Services facility. The grant will help Wayside relocate from its current 1,800-square-foot site to a newly constructed 6,000-square-foot facility at 123 Worcester Road in Charlton, significantly increasing access to behavioral health services for children, youth, and families across Southern Worcester County.
The award will support the Wayside Charlton Community Services New Site Furnishings Project, an investment designed to strengthen Wayside’s ability to deliver intensive care coordination and related behavioral health services through its MassHealth Community Service Agency (CSA) program.
“This investment comes at a critical time for children and families in Southern Worcester County,” said Sara McCabe, President and CEO of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network. “Demand for coordinated behavioral health services continues to grow, and this expanded facility will allow us to serve more families, reduce wait times, strengthen collaboration among providers, and ensure that young people can access the support they need close to home.”
The expansion addresses a significant community need in a region often recognized as a behavioral health service desert, particularly in Southbridge, Webster, and surrounding communities. By increasing staffing capacity and strengthening infrastructure, Wayside expects to reduce client wait times, improve care coordination, increase the number of families served annually, and enhance engagement through accessible, community-based support.
“This project is about more than a building,” said Jessica Santos, Site Director of Charlton Community Services. “It is about creating the space and capacity necessary to help more children safely remain with their families, avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, and receive coordinated care in their own communities. We are deeply grateful to The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts for investing in the health and wellbeing of the families we serve.”
“We are proud to partner with Wayside on this initiative which will help more families receive timely care and support across Southern Worcester County” said The Health Foundation President and CEO Dr. Amie Shei. “By supporting Wayside’s expanded Charlton Community Services facility, we are investing in the infrastructure needed to increase and sustain access to coordinated, community-based behavioral health services for years to come.”
About Wayside Youth & Family Support Network
Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a nationally accredited nonprofit dedicated to building strength, hope, and resiliency. Wayside provides a continuum of behavioral health and family services, including community-based counseling, residential programs, and family-centered outreach, serving thousands of children and families across Eastern and Central Massachusetts. Learn more at www.waysideyouth.org.
