October 8, 2020

Pittsfield Homelessness Committee Addresses Council Questions

BY Brittany Politoiberkshires.com

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Homelessness Prevention Committee met on Tuesday morning to answer some questions that the City Council had about its infrastructure and community outreach work.

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Guiel Lampiasi and Councilor at Large Earl Persip lll made four petitions requesting more information about the committee. These petitions asked that Chairman Edward Caramel provide details on the committee’s engagement with other organizations to address homelessness, steps it has taken to monitor homelessness in Pittsfield, and if it has increased meetings with the increase of homelessness in Pittsfield.

They read as follows:

• Petition 10: requesting that the Chairman provides a detailed list of programs that the committee has advocated through the city, state, and federally and how committee members have engaged with these programs outside of their own entities.
• Petition 11: requesting that the Chairman provides a detailed report of steps the HPC has taken monitor homelessness in Pittsfield since 2019.
• Petition 12: requesting that the Chairman answers how many meetings the HPC held during the present quarter and if they have increased meetings during the recent spike of homelessness in Pittsfield.
• Petition 13: requesting that the Chairman provides a report of the committee leaders and neighborhood service providers that the HPC has collaborated with and if any viable solutions have been drafted by the committee.

This resulted in short meeting, as Caramel and committee members found these questions to be redundant.

The city’s Community Development & Housing Program Manager Justine Dodds, Director of Tenancy Preservation Program for Berkshire Housing Authority Kim Borden, and medical social worker at Berkshire Medical Center Newell Young reported that they work with Berkshire Regional Housing Authority, ServiceNet, The Elizabeth Freeman Center, Louison House, and the Christian Center among many other organizations.

The rest of the committee agreed that they work with these organizations as well.

Dodds is also a board member of Three Country Continuum of Care, a program that according to its website promotes communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness in Franklin, Hampshire, and Berkshire counties. The program provides funding for efforts toward a “housing-first model” by nonprofit program providers, area stakeholders, and local governments serving families and individuals. It also aims to minimize the trauma and dislocation they face because of homelessness by promoting access to therapeutic tools and provide self-sufficiency to those experiencing homelessness.

Borden said it is not an easy question to answer, because they partner with any organizations they can.

“We work with every human service agency that there is in Berkshire County, and many within Massachusetts for that matter” She said. “So that’s really not an easy question to answer.”

Caramel agreed. “No it’s not, that’s why we are reaching out to you guys so you can show the city and the state how we are working with our committee to help them,” he said.

Young reported that he attempted to have someone within Berkshire Medical Center keeping track of various statistics to generate a report of homelessness. This report was not able to be generated, but he is trying to think of ways that administration can be involved to help this project.

“There is a way that we track homelessness,” he said. “But I don’t completely understand how it happens through the hospital’s intake administration systems.”

Executive Vice President of Soldier On Matthew Buckley reported that his group also works with the VA Medical Center in Leeds as well as the VA Outpatient Clinic in Pittsfield and the veteran service officer for the city.

The Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority, The Brien Center, Soldier On, and ServiceNet have been holding an outreach meeting at the Christian Center two times a week to provide meals, materials, and services to homeless individuals as well as checking in on those who cannot be reached electronically.  This occurs on Tuesday and Thursday.

Buckley said that without this meeting, contact would have been lost with some individuals.

“It becomes a very convenient spot for them to access services and for us to have some face time with them.”  He said.

Maureen Tuggey of Elder Services of Berkshire County said the agency provides funding to Community Legal Aid for representation of elders going through the eviction process. Elder Services also provides a grant to the Berkshire Sector for Justice to buy legal advocacy for senior citizens. Additionally, they work with Berkshire Elder Protective Services and with the library to have staff on site on days that the Salvation Army provides a food truck for food insecure individuals.

Katelynn Miner, a pastor at Berkshire Dream Center, outlined the programs it has been running for the homeless population. The center works directly with the community and Barton’s Crossing to provide physical and spiritual aid housing insecure individuals.

Miner also reported that the Dream Center goes to Springside Park on a weekly basis to meet with the homeless. They are also holding church services every Sunday outside at Morningside Community School’s parking lot. This is in response to the increase in homelessness in Pittsfield.

She explained that after the death of Derek LaRoche in Springside Park last month, many members of the community came to The Dream Center for spiritual support.

“It has been very widely received, especially when the young gentleman committed suicide not too long ago,” Miner said. “We’ve had a lot of homeless come to our church services and we supported them with a prayer for him.”

She explained that the center has two homeless individuals who come every week and bring friends with them, being advocates for the program and acting as spokespersons.

“It has been eye-opening and good and challenging at the same time,” she said regarding this partnership.

ServiceNet has reported as of Oct. 5 there are eight individuals staying in Springside Park.

At last night’s Ordinance and Rules council subcommittee meeting, modifications were made to the language of the Homeless Prevention Committee’s drafted order to specify where all of the 15 members of the committee should come from.

Another material change was that O&R wanted to see a representative from the sheriff’s department in the committee because the department does a lot with travel coordination and working directly with outreach to unsheltered individuals.

This would then go back to City Council at the next meeting for a vote.