Name: Massachusetts Association for Mental Health
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Massachusetts has made historic strides in advancing mental health and substance use reform, and improving access to timely, high-quality, and culturally responsive care. The Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) State Budget preserves this progress for people with behavioral health conditions and their families.

The Big Picture

Back in January, the budget season kicked off with $83M in proposed cuts to people and families served by the Department of Mental Health (DMH). We had not seen this level of cuts to DMH since the Great Recession during the Patrick Administration. It took the Commonwealth over a decade to restore funding and services lost to those cuts.

Thanks in large part to your hard work and commitment, the FY26 State Budget that the Governor signed restores almost all these proposed cuts. This important victory ensures that people currently receiving services continue to get the support they need.

MAMH Budget Priorities Areas of Focus

Behavioral Health Services

Line Item

Budget Priority

DMH 5046-0000

Adult Mental Health and Supports Services

FY26 Budget: $694.405M

MAMH advocated to stop over $24M in cuts to Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) and Adult Respite Services. Both services are at capacity. Cuts would have led to DMH adult clients losing their homes.

DMH 5042-5000

DMH 5095-0000

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Inpatient Facilities

With the Children's Mental Health Campaign, MAMH advocated to stop the closure of the only Clinically Intensive Residential Treatment (CIRT) program for children ages 6-12 and the only Intensive Residential Treatment Program (IRTP) that provides intervention for youth who identify as gender diverse in the state.

FY26 Budget: Language to maintain the same number of CIRTs and IRTPs as in FY25

Flexible Support Services

FY26 Budget: Language to expend not less than the amount in FY25

Program for Assertive Community Treatment for Youth (PACT-Y)

FY26 Budget: $4.5M

Housing with Supportive Services

Line Item	Budget Priority
HLC 7004-9033 DMH 5046-0000 DMH 5047-0001	Rental Subsidy Program for DMH clients Adult Mental Health and Supports Services Emergency Service Programs and Acute Inpatient Mental Health Care Services MAMH secured the same level of funding in FY26 for the DMH Rental Subsidy Program as FY25, ensuring that no DMH clients would lose their DMH rental voucher. FY26 Budget: $16.548M (HLC) + $19.5M (DMH accounts)
DMH 5046-2000	Statewide Homelessness Support Services MAMH advocated for $29.71M for the Safe Haven Program to annualize funding from a federal pandemic relief fund. We will continue to advocate for funding for Safe Havens in the coming year to develop new housing for chronically homeless adults. FY26 Budget: $26.71M

Criminal Legal Reform

Line Item

Budget Priority

DMH 5046-0000

MAMH and our partners successfully advocated to annualize full funding for the Jail Diversion Program.

FY26 Budget: $19M

EOHHS 4000-0300

EOHHS and Medicaid Administration

MAMH and our partners successfully advocated for funding for the Middlesex County Restoration Center to divert people in behavioral health crisis away from jails and emergency departments (EDs).

FY26 Budget: $1.5M

Older Adult Services

Budget Priority

Proposed Funding Level

AGE 9110-1640

Geriatric Mental Health Services

MAMH advocated for $2.973M, a $500K increase over the Governor's Budget for Behavioral Health Outreach for Aging Populations (BHOAP) program.

FY26 Budget: $2.473M

Next Steps

While we are grateful for this milestone, we know the work is far from over. The Governor has announced that she will hold on paying out over $100M in earmarks in anticipation of additional federal fiscal cuts. MAMH will also be engaged in supplemental budget advocacy over the course of the coming months, pushing for increased funding for supportive housing.

We need your continued support to elevate the importance of behavioral health and wellness in future policy and budget deliberations.

Interested in getting involved? Learn more about efforts to expand access to behavioral health care, decriminalize mental health, and promote wellness, and Take Action here!