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November 15, 2024: Issue 22

Offering hope and help to those impacted by opioid misuse in

Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region.

UPCOMING EVENTS

See what's happening at OTF this month.

COVID-19 RESOURCES

Explore OTF's COVID-19 Resource Guide.

MASSACHUSETTS SUBSTANCE USE HELPLINE

Hope is here. Get help.

413Cares
Resources for Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region. Click here.

NQCC'S RESOURCES

Resources and upcoming events in the North Quabbin Region.

Click here.

CONNECTIONS #84

Find local resources in this issue.

Emergency Services Resources for Unhoused Individuals

The PACES CONNECTION

Click here for resources.

Grayken Center for Addiction

Training & Technical Assistance

Click here to view and/or register for trainings.

GCC Community Engagement and Workshop Events

Click here to view and/or register for trainings.

Rural SUD Info Center

Click here for resources.

As we express our gratitude we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

~President John F. Kennedy

Greetings folks, 


It’s the most wonderful time of the year… or is it? Every year following Halloween, the stores light up in twinkly lights and stock all of our favorite food and gifts. Family and friends begin inviting guests for all of the meals and festivities, and radio stations start playing music that pleases some and annoys others. All of these shifts attempt to create an atmosphere of joy and gratitude leading into the new year. 


Yet, the holidays are incredibly complex emotionally. The expectation of being present, polite, generous, grateful, selfless, happy, and abundantly blessed with unlimited financial resources for two months straight is enough to push anyone over the edge. This year might be particularly hard after the election, especially if you plan to spend time with someone who can’t help but bring up politics or divisive opinions as they pass the stuffing. 


Another factor people deal with during this season is the many gatherings that involve “holiday cheer,” aka alcohol or other substances. Culturally, we embrace drinking at social gatherings, and the holidays amplify that, which can be incredibly challenging for folks in recovery or struggling to moderate their use of substances in general.


Family can also be triggering for someone with a complex trauma history, stigmatized behavior, or lifestyle. Avoiding family gatherings can cause social tensions and can feel incredibly isolating. Being with family and avoiding family is equally as lonely for many.


For those who are processing grief and the loss of loved ones, the holidays can be incredibly challenging to navigate. I lost a parent this year and have had losses in my past that have sometimes made this time of the year feel anything but joyful and celebratory. It can feel like an assault on your emotional well-being and grief at times. For anyone facing this, on top of everything else, I just want you to know you are seen, and it’s not just you who is feeling and processing this nuanced and complex time. 


As we move into the holiday season, I offer these tips to help navigate the nuance:


1. Remember to feed, water, move, and rest your body each day. 

2. Be kind to yourself and extend that same kindness to those you might not understand.

3. Practice radical self-love, no matter how it makes others feel. 

4. You can start or stop traditions at will. There is no rule that says you have to do things even when they don’t serve you or serve you right now. 

5. If it makes you sad or stressed, don't do it. If it makes you happy, do it in abundance 

6. Find your person and walk it, talk it, feel it, or hug it out. 

7. Extend belonging if and when you can. Diversity is beautiful, and grace is free. 

8. Have the chocolate 

9. It is said that grief is love with no place to go. Each year, I buy Christmas gifts for a child the same age as the nephew I lost so that my love goes to someone in need. 

10. There can be grief and joy. Pain and gratitude.Gutting loss and wanting to honor your person by living your best life. Life can and should be lived through the lens of duality. The “and” is an extension of grace while you experience the messy, complex, and nuanced parts of the human experience. 


I wish for all of us to find moments of peace this season as we navigate so much. 


With love and care,

Nichole St. Hilaire

Outreach Manager, CONNECT,

Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region

OTF Members in the News

"Region's Service Agencies

to Merge"

Greenfield Recorder (10/26/24)

 Regional human service agencies Pathlight and ServiceNet are merging in a move that leaders say will enable Pathlight’s programming to continue and allow ServiceNet to expand resources it already offers.


The organizations’ leaders and employees announced the move on Thursday, two days after the boards of directors for both agencies finalized the deal. The process had been initiated in mid-June when Pathlight’s board concluded a merger was in its best interest to continue and expand the services it currently offers.


The agency finished the 2023 fiscal year down $1.8 million, according to ProPublica, an independent news organization.


Keith Kendall, CEO of Springfield-based Pathlight, said the decision to merge is based on the aspiration “to do more good work than we’re doing right now.” He said the merger showed the nonprofit’s determination to “do what we aspire to do for the individuals we serve and the people who work for the company,” adding that “we probably can’t do it alone.”


According to Valle Dwight, Pathlight's director of development and communications, “Pathlight is solvent and financially capable of continuing operation,” adding that “this merger was all about living up to our mission.” Kendall said the losses were “largely driven by the increased costs for labor in the direct care sector exacerbated by the extreme shortage of qualified nurses.”


The search for a company to merge with — one that would align with their mission and ensure the transition of Pathlight programs and employees — began in July.


Now that the merger has been made official, legal matters and state approvals will continue to be negotiated over the next year, including what the future of the Pathlight logo and brand will be now that its programs will be absorbed by ServiceNet.


Both organizations offer programming focused on developmental disabilities and mental health challenges, and offer residential services including group homes and shared living.


Founded by five mothers of young children with developmental abnormalities, Pathlight focuses its care on children with developmental disabilities and autism, among other services. Pathlight currently currently serves about 1,000 people with 500 employees at four locations in Northampton, Greenfield, Pittsfield and Springfield.


When the organization was founded 72 years ago in 1952, Pathlight was the first organization in Hampden County exclusively dedicated to serving people with mental disabilities.


ServiceNet was established in 1973 in Northampton in response to the deinstitutionalization of people with mental illness, and also offers care to people with brain injuries; provides counseling, treatment and shelter; and offers substance abuse recovery resources. The organization employs 1,200 people, and serves more than 8,000 patients each year, overseeing facilities across Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Worcester counties.


Pathlight has been in exclusive negotiations with ServiceNet over the past 30 days, after speaking to “many organizations,” said Kendall, adding that the company “aligned with us most philosophically and they also have the financial strength to continue to offer additional services.”


Sue Stubbs, CEO and president of ServiceNet, agrees the move benefits both organizations, since it will allow ServiceNet to offer “better coordinated whole-person care,” as Pathlight's rogramming complements ServiceNet’s.



“They do more outreach, they have more children’s programs while we focus more on adults,” Stubbs said. “We have clinical services that we feel we can make available to more people.”


Stubbs also added that in the past, the two nonprofits have shared both staff and clientele, so this move cuts back on the need for people to jump from agency to agency in pursuit of resources.


Overall, she expects the merger to make ServiceNet stronger, she said, as

“merging with organizations brings new blood, new ideas.” (STAFF PHOTO/SAMUEL GELINAS)

"Summit Explores Paths to Healthy School Cultures "

Greenfield Recorder (10/31/24)

Educators from more than 24 schools and districts gathered at Greenfield Community College Wednesday morning as keynote speaker Gaelin Elmore, a former NFL player, spoke of his tumultuous childhood and how community leaders can assist youth who have experienced trauma.


Elmore, who spent more than 10 years in the foster care system, experienced homeless and was abused as a child, told his story at the 10th Safe and Healthy School Summit, hosted this by the Office of Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan and the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Franklin County/North Quabbin and Hampshire County.


This year’s summit explored the ways in which adverse childhood experiences and trauma shape school communities. “The kids that you’re serving, the ones that are impacted by trauma, they don’t owe you anything. They don’t owe you respect, they don’t owe you trust,” Elmore said. “The reason they don’t owe you anything is because someone, at some point, took advantage of that respect and that trust.”


Walking the crowd through his experiences as a foster child, he made note of the various adults he came across — from his abuser, to a football coach that took him under his wing when his father was arrested in 2012 — arguing that the ultimate goal for those serving youth is to instill a sense of belonging in them. Building trust with kids who have faced trauma and adversity, Elmore argued, must be done by showing compassion, authenticity, resilience and empowerment, shortened with his acronym “CARE.” He emphasized that some children might reject offers for help out of a lack of trust for adults, but that trust is built with patience and consistency.


“CARE is an acronym that I share anywhere I get the chance, it’s the four commitments that anyone can make to be the difference between potential and circumstance,” Elmore said. “It’s ways that people in my life, from four years old until eighteen in my adolescence, came alongside me and lifted me up at the moment where I didn’t think I could go anywhere.”


The summit also featured a six-person panel of educational leaders who discussed the challenges associated with moderating a healthy school climate and the role of school resource officers (SROs) in supporting students who have faced adversity. The event also featured a youth panel with students from Amherst Regional High School in the afternoon.


Moderated by Donald Casella, an educational consultant from teamTMS, the morning panel included Belchertown Public Schools Superintendent Brian Cameron, Greenfield Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Stephen Sullivan, as well as Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont Regional Schools Superintendent Sheryl Stanton. Rhonda Soto, a consultant with Envisioning Unity Inspiring Change, and Mass Mentoring Partnership Chief Program Officer Beth Fraster, also participated on the panel.


“Mohawk Trail and Hawlemont is a rural district, if you don’t know, we are 250 square miles, and we have between 50% and 60% socio-economically disadvantaged students and families in our districts, which means that we have a significant cohort of students that do need additional support,” Stanton said. “If Covid has taught us anything, it’s that trauma does not affect only students with socioeconomic disadvantaged backgrounds. We’re casting a much wider net right now to make sure that we’re capturing all of our students who are struggling.”


Discussing the role of SROs in overall student wellbeing, many of the panelists mentioned their importance with students’ ability to build trusting relationships with law enforcement, a topic at the center of debate in Greenfield, where School Committee members voted 5-2 against the option to consider stationing an SRO in the district earlier this month.


Sullivan said that whether an SRO would benefit students largely depends on their role within the school and the memorandum of understanding signed between a community’s police force and school district. ... “If you’re thinking about an SRO as a resource, both to connect students and families to resources in the community, to build relationships with students, I think there’s potential to afford it in a positive way.” (STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ)

UPCOMING OTF COMMITTEE & WORKGROUP MEETINGS

Virtual: Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force

November 18, 2024

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Zoom details here.


Hybrid: Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking Workgroup

November 18, 2024

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Franklin County Reentry Center

106 Main Street, Greenfield

Zoom details here.


Virtual: A Matter of Life and Death: A Ten-Year Look at Opioid-Related Fatalities and Trends with

NWDA David E. Sullivan

November 21, 2024

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Register here.


Hybrid: Public Safety & Justice Committee

December 2, 2024

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Franklin County Reentry Center

106 Main Street, Greenfield

Zoom details here.


Virtual: Harm Reduction Workgroup

December 4, 2024

11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Zoom details here.


Virtual: Treatment & Recovery Committee

December 6, 2024

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Zoom details here.


Virtual: Education & Prevention Committee

December 10, 2024

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Zoom details here.


Virtual: CAM Workgroup

December 10, 2024

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Zoom details here.


Virtual: Methadone Workgroup

December 12, 2024

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Zoom details here.

.

Virtual: Housing & Workforce Development Committee

December 13, 2024

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Zoom details here.


Virtual: Building a Resilient Community Workgroup

December 18, 2024

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Zoom details here.


Consult our website or Facebook Page for updates. Please email us with any questions!

FEATURED EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Attention Older Adults and Caregivers: Your Voice Matters!

 

LifePath, your local Area Agency on Aging, is completing an important survey this fall to better understand the needs of older adults (60+) and caregivers in our community. Please take a few minutes to share your input and complete this survey by Nov. 29.

 

Your responses will be kept confidential and will not be shared outside of LifePath or the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Most importantly, survey findings will help us identify and address gaps in programs and services to support older adults and caregivers in the coming years.

 

Please click here to complete the survey by Nov. 29

CONNECT: Post-Opioid Overdose Outreach Services

Support & Resources After the HEALing Communities Study

Learn more at HealTogetherMA.org

Time Sensitive Announcements

November 15 & 22 Story Time

November 16 Decorate Downtown Athol

November 18 Give & Games

November 19 Harvest Bingo

November 19 & 26 Fall Fun at NQRC

November 20 Harvest Food Box Distribution

November 20 Clothing Closet

November 21 A Matter of Life and Death: A Ten-Year Look at Opioid-Related Fatalities and Trends with NWDA David E. Sullivan:

Register here!

November 21 Family Game Night

November 21 at 6PM Trivia Night

November 22 Reservation Deadline for Free Thanksgiving Dinners (Home Delivered)

November 22 Meet & Greet with Montague Villages

November 23 Make A Fairy House

November 25 Craft Club

November 28 A Day of Mourning and Giving Thanks

November 30 Food & Fund Drive for the West County Food Pantry

December 4 Medicine Making Party!

December 6 & 7 The Drag Family in Home for the Holigays!

December 12 Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training

Register Here

MONTHLY WORKSHOP CALENDRS AND WEEKLY STANDING MEETINGS/EVENTS

November at The Art Garden

November at Community Action Family Center

November Events at the Erving Senior Center

November Programs at Franklin County Reentry Center

November Programs - Great Falls Discovery Center

November Greenfield Public Library Children's Programs

November Montague Public Library Programs

Fall Hours at NQRC

November at Salasin Project

November at the Shea

Union 28 Community Network for Children Program Calendar

LifePath Healthy Living 2024 Fall Workshops

Piti Theatre's Youth Troupe

SNAP Application Assistance

Always Open! Community Labyrinth in Greenfield

What's Happening at The NQRC

RECOVER Project Groups At a Glance

Weekdays All Recovery Meeting at The RECOVER Project

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

The Community Closet at The Franklin County Reentry Center

Monday - Friday

Movement Group with North Quabbin Recovery Center Peer Leaders

Mondays North Quabbin Patch Parents' Council

Mondays Breaking Barriers at the Franklin County Reentry Center

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

Mondays CNC Playgroup at the Erving Public Library

Second Mondays of the Month - North Quabbin B.R.A.V.E. Task Force Meetings

Mondays Alternatives to Suicide Group

2nd and 4th Mondays Parenting Together at the Brick House

Third Monday Alphabet & Allies

Third Monday Parenting With Pride

Mondays and Thursdays Hygiene Supplies Pick Up at the Brick House

Mondays and Thursdays The Brick House Food Pantry

Tuesdays Nurturing Program for Families in Recovery

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

Wednesdays Through December 11 Nurturing Fathers Group

Wednesdays - Wendell Library Playgroup with Sylvia

Wednesdays - Playgroup at the Leverett Library with Gillian

Wednesdays HEROES Study Hub at GCC

First Wednesday of the month Gentle Yoga and Breathwork with Jennifer

Whatever Wednesday's on the Second Wednesday of every month

Free Food - Every Third Wednesday

Last Wednesdays of Every month Office Hours With An Attorney

Thursdays Through December 12 Virtual Parenting Journey

First & Third Thursdays Parent Support Group

Thursdays Dungeons and Dragons

Thursdays Mens Group in the RPX

Thursdays Coffee Hour at the Brick House

Thursdays Beyond Trauma Group in Spanish

Second Thursdays -Peer Grief Support After Overdose Death

Fridays FreeWrite of Franklin County

Friday Writing Group at the RP

First Friday of Every Month: Open Mic at the RP

Every Friday - The Garden Path

MassHealth Navigation Support

First Friday of the month 9am-12pm and Third Friday of the month 1pm - 3pm

Every First & Third Friday Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group

Every Second Friday Chosen Family Night

Every Third Friday: Karaoke at The RECOVER Project

Last Friday of the Month: Gardening in Recovery

RAFT Assistance

Re-entry Workforce Program

Homeshare Program with LifePath

Pathways to Advanced Manufacturing

Specialized HVAC Training

Specialized Information Technology Training

SafeSpot Virtual Overdose Spotting Hotline

CHCFC OBAT Same Day & Tele-Health Appointment Information

Free Clothes and Gear

Free English Classes

Free Meals and Essentials at Saints James and Andrews Parish Hall

Come Cook with Franklin County Community Meals Program

Family Self-Sufficiency Program Available

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program

Eviction Self-Help Booklets Available in Multiple Languages


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.



Update! Greenfield CSC New Hybrid Operations Change

Beginning Tuesday, 9.3.24, the Greenfield Court Service Center (CSC)services will be in-person and remote: Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-1pm; 2pm-4:30 pm, and Fridays, 8:30-1pm.


For ANY/ALL REMOTE REQUESTS, please contact the Virtual Court Service Center, M-F 9am -2pm, if you do not have an emergency. You can reach them for an intake, Monday-Friday, 9am to 2pm, by Zoom video or telephone as outlined below:


https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1615261140 or Dial (646) 828-7666. Enter the Meeting ID number 1615261140 and then press # #. 


If you have an emergency, and still need remote services, have the court department reach out directly to Greenfield CSC office by email for assistance at greenfieldcsc@jud.state.ma.us.

COMMUNITY JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region www.opioidtaskforce.org

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