Greetings!
Please enjoy a sampling of articles from our May 2022 newsletter. To read the entire issue, download the PDF here.
May Community Forum: Community Collaborations Wednesday, May 11th
Join us at 85 Main Street, in the Terra Nova space, for an “all hands on deck” input session to inventory our current community collaborations and partnerships. We want to hear from everyone! What working groups exist in our area and who's involved in them? Who do you contact to get involved? Help us map it all out so the information can be shared with the community.

In line with current CDC guidelines and regional masking recommendations, this event will be masking optional. Free masks will be available for those who are more comfortable wearing one.

Free and open to the public. We look to community members from all walks of life for this important Coalition meeting. The first half of the forum will be devoted to introductions and announcements and please bring your flyers for distribution.
For more information about this forum, contact the nbCC office, 413-663-7588 
Forum Spurs Constructive Discussion on Housing
On the evening of April 13, a small but engaged group of about 27 community members gathered for the follow-up forum on the topic of housing. The discussion was led by guest experts, Brad Gordon of Berkshire Regional Housing Authority and Eileen Peltier of Berkshire Housing Development, who offered their insight on what they are seeing happening with the housing market locally and nationally. The majority of the time the group spent together was for the purposes of group discussion and participation in identifying what factors are affecting housing in our region and potential solutions to address our local housing concerns. 

The discussion began identifying concrete examples of barriers that contribute to the housing crisis we are experiencing, including student debt rates, minimum wage not keeping up with inflation, lack of affordable housing that was in livable condition, and the stigma surrounding creating new affordable housing and assisted housing for those with substance abuse issues and disabilities, causing NIMBY attitudes within potential development neighborhoods. The group noted the sudden recent increase in property values, influx of second home buyers, and businesses purchasing properties as investments or to convert solely to short-term rental units through services such as Airbnb and VRBO. All of these factors are competing with residents, students, and newcomers for the available housing. Additionally, the group believes that zoning issues and building codes influence the barriers of purchasing and restoring our aging housing stock.

Potential solutions to the housing crisis included educating the community about the benefits of affordable housing and supportive housing models, advocacy on all levels to support innovating models of future housing, updated building codes, and policies that support housing growth and renovation. The group agreed that collaboration between groups within the community was necessary to build a more powerful voice and message to advocate for the region’s housing needs, and that should be organized at a municipal level, as well as, participating in creating a unified voice for the Berkshires to advocate on a state level.

Attendees of the forum received copies of A Housing Vision for the Berkshires; Berkshire County Regional Housing Strategy, a collaboration of 1Berkshire, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and Berkshire Regional Housing Authority. To obtain a free copy, please contact our office: 413-663-7588. Supplies are limited.

~ Suzy Helme, Communications Coordinator
Drop-in Art Club Off to a Busy Start
In mid-March, nbCC kicked off our Drop-In Art Club at the UNO Community Center, and it became an instant hit. Activities have included personalizing aprons, making wreaths out of clothespins, creating giant “stained glass” window hangings (made out of squares of tissue paper), making homemade puffy paint, and painting rocks to look like garden critters! There are always plenty of activities to do!

Future art projects may include making bird feeders, decorating the UNO sidewalk with chalk, and potting seeds, but you will have to stop in to find out what fun activities are happening! Art Club takes place every Tuesday from 3:30-4:30 pm at the UNO Community Center, located at 157 River Street, North Adams. Art Club is open to children ages 8-18 and snacks are provided. Please note, that facilitators are there to help with the art project, not to provide childcare. Parents and caregivers are welcome to stay!

Questions? Call nbCC at (413) 663-7588 or email Bri Hantman at bhantman@nbccoalition.org.
~ Bri Hantman, Office Coordinator
From top: Community youth create decorative aprons with puff paint; club facilitator Deb Jones helps a participant with their project
Changes at the Coalition: Farewell to Stephen; Hello to Jennifer & Tanya; Lindsey Takes on a New Role!

April held many changes at the office for our Coalition team. First, we said our “goodbyes” to Stephen Barrow, our Prevention & Recovery Coordinator. We’re excited for Stephen as he moves on to a new job and we can’t wait to see him soon out in the community! During Stephen’s time at the nbCC he worked closely with Associate staff member, Lindsey Rosa, and she was a natural fit to fill his shoes and she was ready for the new challenge. If you see Lindsey, please congratulate her on her new position as the Youth Prevention Coordinator.

Our two newest team members settled into their roles with us here at the Coalition, supporting the work of our Family Resource Center. Please welcome, Jennifer Parker and Tanya Guerin to the Family Resource Center team! Our nbCC team continues to grow and we hope to welcome more new faces over the coming months. 

Below, Left to Right: Stephen Barrow; Lindsey Rosa
Jennifer Parker, Family Support Worker
Hello,
My name is Jennifer Parker and I’m joining nbCC as the new Family Support Worker. I am fortunate to have joined the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, to be able to assist families and their children with whatever their needs may be. I joined the nbCC team because I want to help families in the community. My background is in Human Services and Early Education. I’m a recent graduate from Berkshire Community College and I’m attending MCLA in the Bachelor’s Program. I am a mom of two adult children and a Mimi to my granddaughter. Thank you for welcoming me aboard!
Tanya Guerin, School Liaison 

Tanya was born and raised in Adams, MA and still resides there to this day with her family. Tanya’s early schooling and chosen career path was in the Hospitality Industry where she found success as a Restaurant Manager for ten years. Although successful, something was missing, and Tanya left the hospitality industry to start a family. She became the proud mother of two incredible children, a son and a daughter.

After learning that her son was born with a brain malformation, Tanya decided to put her career goals on hold, and stayed at home to help her son achieve his. Today, her son is a successful middle schooler through advocacy and school collaboration. Tanya is excited to join nbCC as our School Liaison as a resource for the families and schools of Northern Berkshire County to have within their reach. 

Now that her children are a little older, Tanya made the life changing decision to return to school to place some of the focus back on her goals. Currently, she is a Junior at Bay Path University studying Nonprofit Management, and plans on continuing for a Master’s in Special Education. Her accomplishments at BPU include being a peer mentor for incoming students and a member of the Maroon Key Honor Society. It is Tanya’s dream, upon successful completion of her program, to advocate for families and schools regarding students with disabilities in obtaining a fair and equitable education. 

Tanya believes firmly in being an active parent in her children’s schooling and was V.P. of their Parent/Teacher Group for 7 years, and although has since stepped down, still continues to be an active member and volunteer. In her spare time, Tanya enjoys her volunteer work in her community, spending time with her family, and foraging in the summer months.
Teen Writing Workshop Group Wraps Season 
with Showcase & Book Release

The Teen Writing Workshop (TWW) group has been working diligently throughout the year on their artwork and creative writing pieces in preparation for their last showcase of the year as well as the release of Somewhere Between, which is entering its 24th year of publication! It acts as such an amazing historical marker for that group’s year of creativity. It is always such an exciting process to work with the teens as they pick their favorite creations and work with the facilitators to edit and clean up their pieces. The book is also a source of pride for a lot of the teens, to see their writing and artwork in a printed book!

Outside of book preparations, there is a lot of work being done by the group to prepare for their last showcase of the year which will be May 18th from 5-7 at Three West Events in the Norad Mill. In a similar format to the winter showcase, the young people will pick poems, story sections, and artwork that they want to share with the audience. This year we will have at least 16 young people presenting, some young people will even change what they share to show the audience the different levels of their creativity. Our dream is to have a wide audience attend this last showcase for the year and come celebrate months of writing, editing, sketching, and erasing. 

It is always nice to look back at the year and think about all the different creative styles, forms, and personalities we have seen grow over the year. This group has everything from fiction writers to poets, to pencil artists to digital ones! Each year this group seems to bloom with new creative young folks that explore different mediums as ways to express themselves. Some of the TWW participants find their style throughout the year after being inspired by hearing and seeing all of the different forms of writing and art. 
- Carrisa Sacherski, Youth Support Associate
Click here to see what's going on at nbCC in May!