Latest News from our Departments
Make sure MassHealth has your most up-to-date info!
Community Behavioral Health Centers are closely connected to the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line. The Behavioral Health Help Line is a 24/7 clinical hotline staffed by trained behavioral health providers and peer coaches who offer clinical assessment, treatment referrals, and crisis triage services. Help Line staff directly connect callers with their nearest CBHC and perform a warm handoff when appropriate. 

The Help Line is available in more than 200 languages, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Call or Text: 833-773-2445
Web Chat: masshelpline.com

A phone scam is going around requesting that you verify your VA information. The VA does not call and request information verification.
Respectfully, 
Randy
A few words from Associate Commissioner for Disabled Affairs
Richard Cohen
Recently we have joined forces with Healthy Aging and the Island Disability Coalition to make Martha’s Vineyard 19 public beaches accessible so that children, adults, and seniors of all abilities can use and navigate these great Island resources as independently as possible. We are finalizing a survey for beach operators to fill out to determine more precisely the current accessibility, the results of which can be used for improvements. I have also begun working with several organizations, including the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, to improve accessibility to many of the Island’s over 100 trails.

Some of the beaches and trails have some accessible features. Few, especially trails, are fully accessible to people with more significant mobility challenges, including wheelchair users or who are blind. I recently prepared a report on the accessibility of many Island trails. For a copy, contact me at [email protected]. We will use the survey results and other information to promote improvements. One objective is to ensure that at least one to three trails in each region of the Island are fully accessible. 

It is with great sadness that I mention the recent passing of Judy Heumann at age 75. Judy was one of the leading international disability rights leaders over the past half-century. Contracting polio as a child, she became the first teacher with a wheelchair in New York history after the State denied her certification even though she was fully qualified. Recently featured in the documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, she was instrumental in gaining passage of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the ADA, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and for so many other initiatives. For more remembrances of Judy’s remarkable life, click on the link.

May her memory be a blessing and an inspiration for all of us to continue her work.
Cape Cod, Community Action Council, is doing its needs assessment
Thank you for being part of this community process! 
Obrigada por fazer parte desse processo comunitario! ¡Gracias por ser parte de este proceso comunitario!
What is the Homestead Act? The Massachusetts Homestead Act is a law under which an Estate of Homestead protects a homeowner. A Homestead provides limited protection against the forced sale of a homeowner's primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000. The Homestead Act is Massachusetts General Laws (MGL) Chapter 188.
The homestead estate protects home ownership from execution and forced sale, so long as the owner or covered family member occupies or intends to occupy the property as their principal residence. 
For more information about the Homestead, please consult the Registry’s website www.dukescountydeeds.org
RENTAL OPPORTUNITY!
HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY!
Dukes County Public Benefits Access Program
508-696-3844
  • Fuel Assistance
  • Food Stamps (SNAP) & Other Food Assistance
  • Limited Cash Assistance
  • Social Security Disability
Monday 8-4:30
Tuesday 8-2:30
Wednesday 8-4:30
Thursday 8-2:30
and by Appointment
EXTRA COVID SNAP HAS ENDED
Clients can provide certain documentation under certain circumstances if a benefit is lower than these numbers. Some of these are; Medical costs over $35 a month for anyone in your SNAP household who is 60 or older or has a disability, an increase in housing costs (rent/mortgage), and child or disabled adult care costs.
There has been an increase in the fraudulent use of clients' DTA benefits. Never give your card number or pin to anyone.
To protect your benefits, DTA strongly encourages you to change your EBT card PIN regularly. You do not need a new card. Learn more: https://Mass.gov/ProtectYourEBT.

If any DTA client believes they may have fallen victim to a scam, they are encouraged to report it to DTA’s fraud hotline at 1-800-372-8399.
If you or someone you know would like to apply, please contact (508)696-3844.
The Fuel Assistance Heating Season runs from November 1st until April 31st
Island Health Care Community Health Workers / Peer Recovery Coaches are available for those who need help with their Substance Use.
Martha's Vineyard Community Services Recovery Coach Program
111 Edgartown Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
508-693-7900 x451

Island Health Care Community Health Center
245 Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Rd, Edgartown, MA 02539
508-964-0940
Thank you to our Funders
Our Community Partners and Affiliates