June 7, 2024: Issue 11
Offering hope and help to those impacted by opioid misuse in
Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region.
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"Tackling The State's Number 1 Challenge" ~ Greenfield Recorder (5/17/24) |
Availability, affordability and accessibility of housing was the focus of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities’ regional listening session on Thursday, which will help inform the development of a statewide housing plan.
While housing stock is crunched around Massachusetts, there is a particularly acute shortage here in Franklin County, as only 0.7% of homes in the county are available for sale or rent and one in four renter households are spending more than half of their income on rent and utilities, according to Gina McLaughlin of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
To help the region, and the state as a whole, address this shortage, the Healey-Driscoll administration is seeking to develop a five-year strategic housing plan — in conjunction with the $4.1 billion Affordable Homes Act— by holding 14 listening sessions around the state, including the one in Greenfield on Thursday.
“We’re really trying to put some new tools in the toolbox and we’re trying to supercharge the things we know work,” said Housing Secretary Ed Augustus. “The tools of Greenfield and Franklin County are very different in some cases than the tools in the city of Boston. … It’s not a plan for eastern Massachusetts, it’s a plan for all of Massachusetts.”
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll was also in attendance, and said many places in Massachusetts, including her former home of Salem, are becoming unaffordable for the vast majority of people.
“We are really committed to trying to tackle the housing challenges, as we see it is the No. 1 challenge in the commonwealth,” Driscoll said, adding that the collective power of residents, businesses and the state can help
achieve housing goals. “Collectively, we think that’s the commonwealth’s strength. When we bring people together — private sector, public sector, nonprofits, higher ed., industries — in regions to tackle a shared vision, we can be successful.”
Following the introductory remarks during the listening session at Greenfield Community College, folks were split into breakout groups of more than a dozen people to discuss their housing priorities, initiatives that are working, and what their dreams are for addressing the challenges the state and region are facing.
“Availability, affordability and accessibility,” Greenfield resident Louise Amyot said of her desire for housing in the area. She also noted separating housing developments by any demographic — racial, economic or others — is the antithesis of building communities. “I don’t think segregated housing is good for society.”
A general consensus among one of the breakout groups — as well as with Augustus — is support for accessory dwelling units by right, or at least with few hurdles for a special permit.
“I’ve become a huge proponent of ADUs,” said Walker Powell, Orange’s community development director, who noted she just bought a house in Montague with a family member because housing is so expensive, but the town’s bylaws allowed for the creation of an accessory dwelling unit, so they could each have their own home.
Among the things folks would like to see to address housing are state incentives that meet the scale of Franklin County. Many developmental subsidies and programs require numerous housing units to be profitable for developers. One solution, said Whately resident and Housing Committee member Montserrat Archbald, would be to either scale down some of the programs for smaller communities or to allow towns to work together on some projects.
“We need some affordable housing, but we are not big enough,” she said. "I’d like some way for towns to collaborate.”
Lack of public transportation and taking a look at short term rental regulations, relating to companies like Airbnb, were also points of concern.
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"Panel Talks Efforts to Combat Sexual Exploitation" ~ Greenfield Recorder (5/31/24) |
After viewing a Frontline documentary focused on sexual exploitation in Phoenix, about 40 residents at the Garden Cinemas heard how authorities are combating sexual exploitation of minors in the area.
As part of a community education initiative undertaken by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office and the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Hampshire County and Franklin County/North Quabbin, residents were invited to view “Sex Trafficking in America,” a 2019 film that follows a special police unit in Phoenix devoted to rooting out sexual exploitation and, specifically, the harrowing story of a 16 year-old girl named Kat.
The 52-minute film was followed by a panel discussion featuring Northampton Police Capt. Victor Caputo and Assistant District
Attorney Anne Yereniuk, deputy chief of the Child Protection Unit of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, as well as Kayla Washington and Kelly Broadway, the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) coordinators at the two Children’s Advocacy Centers.
Also on the panel was an unidentified local woman who survived sex trafficking perpetrated by her father.
“Self-esteem rests on how good of a product you are,” the woman said as she detailed her upbringing, which consisted of attending 12 schools as a child, making it virtually impossible for friends, neighbors or teachers to notice a problem. “I would have been a very hard child to help.”
Washington said the survivors she works with are typically 14 to 16 years old. Broadway said the youngest survivor she has met was 11.
“ A lot of this stuff is internet- based,” Caputo noted during the discussion. “There’s so many apps and … communication tools. I have a teenage daughter and, yeah, they’re on their phones constantly and it’s a target-rich environment for people who want to engage in that behavior.”
An audience member asked panelists about similarities between what was portrayed in the documentary and what happens in rural western Massachusetts. Yereniuk said authorities patrolling street corners to catch sex workers — as depicted in the film — are nonexistent in Franklin County because it is not an urban area, but “it is online, it is real life.” She also said there are law enforcement officers dedicated to fighting internet crimes.
Yereniuk also mentioned how the opioid epidemic and housing crisis are fueling the sexual exploitation problem.
“In order to prove human trafficking beyond a reasonable doubt, you have to show that there’s an exchange of something for value,” she explained. “Something for value d o e s n’t mean cash. Something for value doesn’t mean currency. It could be whatever.”
Caputo said perpetrators of sexual exploitation use mental manipulation to recruit their victims and keep them trapped.
Some of the people in attendance included members of the western Massachusetts chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse, an organization that protects young victims of sexual abuse. The bikers provide security and comfort to children going through the ordeal of their abusers’ trial.
Funding for Wednesday’s screening came from a $60,141 grant from the state’s Human Trafficking Enforcement and Training Grant Program to educate mandated reporters, school staff, medical personnel and the community at large about commercial sexual exploitation of children.
The money also will fund training for area law enforcement with the goal of developing a regional group of investigators with advanced skills in obtaining digital evidence and the technological expertise to conduct complex human trafficking investigations.
(Staff Photo/Dominic Poli)
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UPCOMING OTF COMMITTEE & WORKGROUP MEETINGS | |
Virtual: Treatment & Recovery Committee
June 7, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force
June 10, 2024
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Zoom details here.
Hybrid: Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking Workgroup
June 10, 2024
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Franklin County Reentry Center
106 Main Street, Greenfield
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Education & Prevention Committee
June 11, 2024
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Zoom details here.
Virtual: CAM Workgroup
June 11, 2024
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Methadone Workgroup
June 13, 2024
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Housing & Workforce Development Committee
June 14, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Harm Reduction Workgroup
July , 2024
11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Healthcare Solutions Committee
July 12, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:30 Noon
Zoom details here.
Hybrid: Public Safety & Justice Committee
August 5, 2024
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Franklin County Reentry Center
106 Main Street, Greenfield
Zoom details here.
Consult our website or Facebook Page for updates. Please email us with any questions!
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FEATURED EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
CONNECT: Post-Opioid Overdose Outreach Services | |
IMPORTANT UPDATE: HEALTH CARE RESOURCE CENTERS | |
Medication Supported Recovery Conversation Group - CHD
Mondays 9-10 AM, Tuesdays 9-10 AM or 3-4 PM
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Time Sensitive Announcements | |
May 29 - June 29 Free College Success Course | |
June 7 Puerto Rico Day Celebration | |
June 7 6th Annual DMH Trauma Symposium | |
June 7 Reading & Booksigning with Abigail Rose Clarke | |
June 8 A Floral Design Workshop | |
June 8 Stone Soup Cafe Menu | |
June 8 Conical Willow Basket | |
June 8 5K Hop for the United Arc | |
June 8 Family Friendly Hike | |
June 8 Art Naturally - Solar Prints from the Garden | |
June 8, 9, 14-16 A Midsummer Night's Dream | |
June 9 PAXSAX: Saxophone Quartet Summer Concert Series | |
June 9 Exploded View: Downtown Foraging Walk | |
June 10 The People's Town Hall with Senator Jo Comerford 10 de junio Asamblea Publica con la senadora Jo Comerford | |
June 10, 17 & 23 Welcoming Wellness Workshop | |
June 13 Spaghetti Dinner & A Show | |
June 13 North Quabbin Seasonal Gathering - Spring Edition | |
June 13 Shea Theater Mural Community Input Session | |
SHEA THEATER MURAL
Community Input Session
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Shea Theater Arts Center
71 Avenue A, Turners Falls
5-7pm
The goal of this community input session is to generate themes for the Shea Theater mural that are relevant to Turners Falls and its residents. These themes will be used by the selected muralist, Darion Fleming, to create draft designs for consideration and approval by the Shea Mural Steering Group.
Rigorous community input is essential to this process. Please join us! All are welcome!
AGENDA
5:00pm: Pizza
5:30pm: Welcome
5:35pm: Presentation by Britt Ruhe
5:50pm: Meet Darion Fleming, via ZOOM
6:00PM: Easy, interactive activities
7:00PM: Announcements
For more information about this project, please visit: https://montague-ma.gov/p/1539/?cache=0
For questions/comments, please contact: Britt Ruhe, Common Wealth Murals at britt@commonwealthmurals.org
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June 14 Meeting of the West County People Supporting People Network | |
June 14 Rec The Night Chalk Fest | |
June 15 Poems & Paintings & Postcard | |
June 17 Three County Continuum of Care Gathering
Register here
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June 19 Greenfield's 3rd Annual Juneteenth Day | |
June 20 Preventing Homelessness in Greater Greenfield: Learn about Community Legal Aid's Grant Funded Resources You can register for this free event here.
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June 20 Charlemont Forum 2024
Ted Conover - IMMERSIONS: Looking at Social Issues We Might Not Otherwise Explore
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June 22 Cartographies: Mapping the Interior | |
June 22 Wendell Free Library Summer Reading Kickoff
with Ed the Wizard
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June 23 Community Conversation: Improving Library Accessibility for Patrons with Limited Mobility, Vision, and Hearing | |
June 24 June Book Discussion "How the South Won the Civil War" | |
June 24 - August 3 Kids' Summer Reading Program | |
June 25 Summer Reading Kick Off | |
June 26 Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training
Register Here!
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June 30 Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum
A Chat with Author Antonia Hylton
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July 15 - August 29 Tuition Free Training in Culinary Arts | |
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MONTHLY/WORKSHOP CALENDRS AND WEEKLY STANDING MEETINGS/EVENTS | |
Improving Housing to Improve Health News | |
June Community Action Family Center Calendar | |
June Programs at Franklin County Reentry Center | |
June Programs - Great Falls Discovery Center | |
June Greenfield Public Library Programs | |
June Montague Public Library Programs | |
June Events at Sunderland Public Library | |
June Union 28 Community Network for Children Program Calendar | |
July - August at Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre | |
LifePath's FREE Healthy Living Summer Workshops | |
Spring & Summer Pothole Pictures | |
Montague Community Band 2024 Summer Concert Series | |
The Shelburne Falls Military Band Summer 2024 Schedule | |
2024 Seeds of Solidarity Calendar of Events | |
SNAP Application Assistance | |
Always Open! Community Labyrinth in Greenfield | |
RECOVER Project Groups At a Glance | |
Weekdays All Recovery Meeting at
The RECOVER Project
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Monday/Wednesday/Friday
The Community Closet at The Franklin County Reentry Center
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Monday - Friday
Movement Group with North Quabbin Recovery Center Peer Leaders
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Mondays North Quabbin Patch Parents' Council | |
Mondays Breaking Barriers at the Franklin County
Reentry Center
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Mondays Art Guild Meetings | |
Mondays Advanced Manufacturing Info Sessions | |
Monday Drug Court Alumni Group - North Quabbin | |
Mondays Community Yoga at Wildflower Alliance | |
Mondays at FCSO Reentry Center - Recovery Through Creativity | |
Second Mondays of the Month - North Quabbin B.R.A.V.E. Task Force Meetings | |
Mondays Alternatives to Suicide Group | |
2nd Mondays
Greenfield Healing Clinic
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2nd and 4th Mondays
Parenting Together at the Brick House
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Third Monday Alphabet & Allies | |
Third Monday Parenting With Pride | |
Mondays and Thursdays
Hygiene Supplies Pick Up at the Brick House
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Tuesdays Peer-Led Grief and Loss Circle | |
Every Other Tuesday - Housing Support Drop In Hours | |
First Tuesday - Dads' Group at Valuing Our Children | |
Tuesday Tea Time & Community Resource Drop-In | |
Tuesdays North Quabbin Recovery Center Coffee Hour | |
Tuesdays Greenfield Suicide Loss Group | |
First Tuesday - P.A.R.T. Task Force | |
Tuesdays Drop-In Knitting & Sewing Sessions | |
2nd Tuesdays New Member Orientation at the RECOVER Project | |
Tuesday & Thursdays Weekly Reentry Groups | |
Tuesday Men's Anger Management Group
Wednesday Women's Anger Management Group
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Wednesdays - Wendell Library Playgroup with Sylvia | |
Wednesdays - Playgroup at the Leverett Library with Gillian | |
Wednesdays HEROES Study Hub at GCC | |
First & Third Thursdays Parent Support Group | |
Thursdays Dungeons and Dragons | |
Thursdays Mens Group in the RPX | |
Thursdays Recovery Support Group Meetings at the Franklin County Reentry Center | |
Thursdays Coffee Hour at the Brick House | |
Thursdays Beyond Trauma Group in Spanish | |
Second Thursdays Every Month, Peer Grief Support | |
Fridays FreeWrite of Franklin County | |
First Friday of Every Month: Open Mic at the RP | |
Every Friday - The Garden Path | |
Every First & Third Friday - Grandparents & Kinship Support Group | |
Every Second Friday Chosen Family Night | |
Every Third Friday: Karaoke at The RECOVER Project | |
Last Friday of the Month: Gardening in Recovery | |
Homeshare Program with LifePath | |
Act Now to Stay Covered with MassHealth | |
Outreach Specialist Position at CHOiCE Recovery Coaching | |
Community Support Navigator at CHD | |
DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps Opportunity at
Montague Catholic Social Ministries
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CHCFC OBAT Same Day & Tele-Health Appointment Information | |
Free Meals and Essentials
Saints James and Andrews Parish Hall
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Come Cook with Franklin County
Community Meals Program
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CONNECTIONS -
A Residential Program of Behavioral Health Network
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Orange Food Pantry Seeking Non-Food Donations | |
When people think of donating to our agency and food pantry, they often think of food- however, that's easier for us to obtain with local partnerships with farms and retailers. What we struggle to keep stocked are hygienic & household products, such as:
- Adult pull-ups size Medium, Large, & XL
- Menstrual products
- Bath products- bath wash or bar soap, shampoo, conditioner
- Deodorant
- Floss
- Mouthwash
- Toothpaste (we have plenty of toothbrushes currently!)
- Paper Towels
- Toilet Paper
- Laundry Detergent
- Dish Soap
- Household cleaners- Windex, multi-surface, floor cleaner, etc.
Dozen-sized egg cartons for repackaging the hundreds of eggs we receive weekly from retailers are also needed.
Please share this list amongst your networks! Donations can be dropped off at 324 Wells Street (the Franklin County Community Distribution Center) at our office, or if donating a large amount, drop-off can be coordinated via donate@fccmp.org. (Image credit: Pixabay)
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Family Self-Sufficiency Program Available | |
Eviction Self-Help Booklets Available in Multiple Languages | |
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MLRI has recently updated and translated some of our self-help booklets for unrepresented tenants facing eviction. While we still recommend tenants facing eviction seek legal help, we know resources are limited and many tenants have to represent themselves. We hope these booklets can be helpful to pro se tenants and their advocates.
You can see the full list of booklets below, or at MassLegalHelp. The booklets can help tenants prepare for court, outline their legal claims, and file court forms. There is also a booklet to help public housing tenants navigate the Grievance process.
Please reach out if you have any questions about the booklets and how they can be used.
What steps to take before going to court and what to bring to court.
An easy-to-use checklist that tells you what conditions violate the State Sanitary Code. You can also use the free self-help guided interview, MADE: Up To Code.
The Answer is a court form that tenants facing evictions can file with the court to outline your legal claims and tell the court your side of the story. You can also use Greater Boston Legal Services’ free self-help guided interview, MADE.
How to ask the court to accept your Answer and Discovery forms late. You can also use Greater Boston Legal Services’ free self-help guided interview, MADE.
A form with instructions for tenants facing eviction to get information to prepare for their trial.
A form with instructions for tenants in foreclosed properties to get information to prepare their case.
A form you can file to transfer your eviction case from a District Court to a Housing Court.
How to get a new court date if you missed your court date.
If you lost your eviction trial and think you have a good case, you may appeal. This document tells you which Appeal form to use.
How to file an appeal from a case in Housing Court.
How to file an appeal from a case in District Court.
How to get time to stay in your home if you lost your case.
How to ask the court to pay for court costs.
How to think through the terms you want in an agreement. Includes a worksheet and stipulation forms to use when you go to court. Read this booklet as webpages and watch the videos!
How to correct errors on your online court records. The Booklet includes the court form you can save to your computer, fill out, save again and print when ready.
A booklet for tenants in Mass. about the grievance process, including worksheets to help you prepare for a grievance hearing.
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Update! Greenfield CSC New Hybrid Operations Change |
The Greenfield Court Service Center is located at 43 Hope St., 1st Floor, Greenfield, MA.
They offer in-person services on Tuesdays & Thursdays, ONLY, from 8:30 am-1 pm, and 2 pm-4 pm. Remote services (email, phone, Zoom) are available on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays.
For an intake, contact the Virtual Court Service Center, Mon. thru Fri. 9 am-12 pm by telephone: 1-646-828-7666, press #, #, then enter meeting ID: 161 526 1140 or by video: www.zoomgov.com/j/1615261140.
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COMMUNITY JOB OPPORTUNITIES | |
Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region www.opioidtaskforce.org
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