The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) is expanding its essential Immigrant Integration services in Framingham and surrounding areas in fiscal year 2026, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the MetroWest Health Foundation (MWHF).

By the end of the grant period in July 2026, the health and social services organization anticipates that its Immigrant Integration case workers will serve an additional 150 community members and their families with increased access to community resources, enabling them to overcome barriers to affordable healthcare, stable housing, mental health support, career development, employment, and more.

“As housing costs continue to rise across Greater Boston, many residents have been forced to move into surrounding cities, placing growing pressure on the MetroWest housing infrastructure and increasing the risk of homelessness,” said MAPS Chief Program Officer (CPO) Alirio Pereira, MA. “With this generous grant from the MetroWest Health Foundation, MAPS is able to reduce housing instability and remove barriers to equitable housing and health for more community members, directly responding to these urgent and evolving needs.”

So far, with nearly six months to go, the nonprofit organization has already assisted more than 80 residents of Framingham, Marlborough, Milford, Hudson, and other surrounding towns with housing resources, enrollment or renewal of MassHealth insurance plans, applications for U.S. citizenship, and access to short-term mental health support.

MAPS has served the Portuguese-speaking communities and others of all backgrounds in Massachusetts since 1970, supporting almost 28,000 people in Fiscal Year 2025. The organization offers free health and social services through its six offices in Framingham, Cambridge, Somerville, Everett, Dorchester, and Lowell.