Donate
Join us in making lives better.
Sign Up for Our Mailing List
Get Help
If you or a loved one needs help now, our caring staff are available. Reach out today.
To commemorate our fiftieth anniversary in 2025, we reflected on just a few of the milestones that shaped Advocates throughout the decades.
1970s: Founding and Firsts
1975
Family and friends of people living at Westborough State Hospital open a coffee shop to foster inclusion and community. They are known as Advocates for Mental Health.
Fund Balance: $814
Revenue: $250
Photo courtesy of Westborough Center for History and Culture
1978
First residential program opens in Framingham to provide an alternative to hospitalization for people living with serious mental health conditions.
1979
Advocates’ first main office opens on third floor of Framingham residential program.
1980s: Growth and Community Integration
1980
Residential programs expand, now serving 25 people.
Annual Revenue: $140K
1982
Bill Taylor is appointed Executive Director.
Expansion of services to support people with developmental disabilities prompts name change to Advocates, Inc.
1983
Advocates’ mental health residential programs become the first in the state to be licensed by the Department of Mental Health.
1987
First residential program to support people with co-occurring mental health and substance use challenges opens in Framingham.
First residential program to provide tailored supports for adults with Prader-Willi syndrome opens.
1990s: Clinical Expansion and Innovation
1990
Now serving 204 people in residential programs.
Annual Revenue: $6.4M
Merger with Together, Inc. brings outpatient clinics and bilingual services to Advocates, expanding capacity to serve diverse populations.
1996
First annual STAR (Staff Talent and Achievement Recognition) Awards ceremony celebrates the contributions of Advocates employees.
1997
Advocates launches new website along with a new logo and tagline.
1999
Merger with Alternative Home Inc. brings expansion of mental health residential services.
2000s: Diversification and Partnerships
2000
Now serving more than 9,500 people.
Annual Revenue: $17.7M
Advocates launches Deaf Services to provide residential supports for Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults. First Deaf Services group home is purchased.
2001
Williams House becomes a safe, supportive home under Advocates, offering the only residential program for Deaf adults with intellectual disabilities in the state.
2003
In partnership with the Framingham Police Department, Advocates launches the first Co-Response Jail Diversion Program in Massachusetts to respond to the needs of community members in crisis.
2007
Advocates begins partnership with Supportive Living, Inc. to provide services for adults living with brain injury.
2008
Chapter 257 reforms funding for human services. Bill Taylor is recognized as a driving force in passing the bill to support fair and adequate pay for workers.
2009
Advocates opens an innovative, community-living model program in Framingham for people recovering from mental health challenges, developed in collaboration with families in the community.
Advocates merges with Autism Alliance of MetroWest, one of seven Autism Support Centers in Massachusetts.
2010s: Leadership Transition and New Models
2010
Now serving more than 20,000 people.
Annual Revenue: $57.1M
2013
Life Skills and Learning Center opens in Ashland, supporting adults with disabilities to learn, grow, and engage meaningfully in their communities.
Advocates opens the state’s first Deaf Respite program to support Deaf people experiencing mental health crises.
After more than 30 years of visionary leadership, Bill Taylor passes away.
Diane Gould is appointed President and CEO of Advocates.
2015
Advocates unveils a refreshed brand to reflect a bold, forward-looking vision.
2018
The Living Room opens in Framingham as a 24-hour, peer-run crisis alternative, the first program of its kind in MetroWest.
2020s: Adaptation and Growth
2020
Now serving more than 30,000 people.
Annual Revenue: $110M
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Advocates adapts programs to ensure continuity of care and launches telehealth services.
2023
As part of the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Roadmap, Advocates opens Community Behavioral Health Center locations in Framingham and Waltham, offering routine, urgent, and crisis care.
2024
Advocates, Family Continuity, and HMEA merge, growing services, expanding reach, and strengthening care for more than 45,000 people annually.
2025
After 40 years of dedicated service, Diane Gould announces she will retire in 2026.
The Board of Directors appoints Regina Marshall the next President and CEO of Advocates, effective July 1, 2026.
