(BOSTON 3/20/2025) — This week, Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership (Mosaic) announced the recipients of the first round of its Municipal Matching Grant program. Worcester-based Latin American Health Alliance (LAHA) is slated to receive $50,000 in matching grants to fund its Café Reyes program, which offers skills training, job placement assistance, and mentorship as part of a long-term stability strategy that integrates education and employment with addiction recovery. Café Reyes serves authentic Cuban food and other Latin-American dishes at its location on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester and is staffed by residents and graduates of LAHA’s Hector Reyes House residential treatment program.
The Municipal Matching Grant program awarded nearly $1.5 million across 75 cities and towns in the Commonwealth, unlocking $3 million in investments toward programs employing best practices to combat the opioid crisis. Grants focus on prevention, harm reduction, access to care, recovery, trauma, grief, and family supports.
“I’m thrilled to hear the news that Latin American Health Alliance has been awarded a generous grant to fund its Café Reyes program,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “This program benefits the community in two different ways – providing opportunities for Latino men in addiction recovery to work in a stable and supportive environment, while also offering delicious and authentic Latin food to the community. I look forward to continuing our work in the State House to identify funding for programs like these that offer real solutions and help close the gaps in our healthcare system for individuals often left behind.”
“Café Reyes provides benefits our community, both in the support of Latino men in recovery, pipeline as well as delivering delicious Cuban food to our community,” said Senator Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester). “Thank you to the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership for this investment, which strengthens a pipeline into the workforce. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to support funding like this grant.”
“Latin American Health Alliance is proud to have been selected to receive this Municipal Matching Grant from the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership. With this grant, we are part of an innovative team effort between the Department of Public Health and RIZE Massachusetts to double the impact of municipal opioid settlement funds,” said José Lemos, Board President at Latin American Health Alliance. “We are excited to put these funds to work through our Café Reyes Employment Training Program, which offers tailored supports and long-term stability for individuals who are currently part of or have recently graduated from our Hector Reyes House program. I’d like to thank RIZE and Mosaic for their important work in opioid addiction recovery here in Central Massachusetts and across the Commonwealth.”
Latin American Health Alliance operates the Hector Reyes House, which offers culturally-informed services that center around recovery from substance use for Latino men. The program curriculum evolves from a focus on developing skills to remain abstinent from substance use, to groups and activities designed to develop a drug-free lifestyle, to a pathway to education and employment through Café Reyes. Each patient works with a councilor to develop a personalized plan that works for each individual.
Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and powered by RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, a nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis in Massachusetts. Funding for these specific grants comes from the MA Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF), which resulted from the landmark legal effort to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid overdose crisis experienced in Massachusetts communities. Two additional rounds of Municipal Matching Grant rounds will be conducted through 2027, totaling $3.75 million in grants over the program’s 3-year duration.
More information about the Latin American Health Alliance can be found on their website. More information about RIZE Massachusetts Foundation and the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership can be found on their website.
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