News & Upcoming Events

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CoC and Partner Agency Fall 2022 Trainings

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CoC Trainings: 

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• Identifying and Defining "Chronic Homelessness" (required for Funded agencies and CoC assessors)  - 10/13, Register here.

• Defining and Documenting Homelessness in HMIS – 10/27, register here.

• Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Training – 11/04, register here.

• Community Legal Aid (CLA) Info Session – 11/10, register here.

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Western Mass Network to End Homelessness, Voter Registration Info Session – 10/14,

Register here.

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Your Vote, Our Housing: This November's ballot and why it matters

 

Please join the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness for this important conversation about what's on the ballot on November 8, and how it relates to our mission of preventing and ending homelessness, especially with regard to the Fair Share Amendment (Question 1), which the Network has endorsed. Learn about voter registration in Massachusetts (possible until October 29 - online here!) and how we can work together to get out the vote within our own organizations and the people we serve. 

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Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) CoC Member Trainings, Register here:

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Please join us for a new training series brought to you by MHSA in collaboration with the
Southshore, Worcester County and Three County CoCs. Presented by Racial Equity Partners
(REP), the series will offer four (4) virtual sessions, each exploring a topic that will help us
continue advancing racial equity in our work to end homelessness.

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• Institutional Transformation: Becoming an Antiracist Organization –10/19, 11-1pm

• Making Change: How to Use Spheres of Influence – 11/2, 11-1pm

• Making Change: Ally ship and Activism –11/16, 11-1pm

• Developing Diverse Organizations – 11/30, 11-1pm

 

Three County CoC 2022 Membership Survey

Last year, the CoC made the following update to our Governance Charter: "The Three County CoC is committed to having a Membership that reflects the diversity of populations served by the CoC, including diversity in race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, disability, geography, housing status, languages are spoken, and lived experience of homelessness. The CoC shall conduct periodic surveys to evaluate the diversity of current membership to identify diversity needs." Please help us to evaluate our strengths and needs in this area by taking a few minutes to complete this survey. 

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Recent News from Citizens' Housing & Planning Association (CHAPA)

Massachusetts Legislature fails to Pass Economic Development Bill, and Conference Committee releases ARPA spending bill.

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join CHAPA's Annual Regional Housing Meeting, scheduled for Thursday, September 22, 2022 from 10-12.

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The CoC has opened a search for a CoC Administrative Assistant. 

This position is a 37.5 hrs/wk @ $17.63-$18.70/hr.  The CoC offers excellent benefits, training, supervision and a collaborative work environment.  The administrative assistant will support the CoC's program staff's administration of funding, community engagement, data and reporting, and oversight of the coordinated entry system.  The ideal candidate will have experience with data entry, office organization, social media, and effective writing skills. We are looking for a motivated team player, who is detail-oriented, able to work independently and has effective general computer skills.  In addition, the candidate of interest will have an understanding of the impacts of systemic racism and cultural and socioeconomic oppression.

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Homelessness disproportionately affects people of color, people with disabilities, and other populations; we strongly encourage applications from people who are members of marginalized communities. Preference will be given to candidates who have lived experience relevant to the work.

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Leveraging Health Care Resource List

The following resources provide further guidance as you work to leverage health care resources in your homeless system:

• Federal Health and Social Service Programs That Support People Experiencing Homelessness

• Homelessness and Health: What’s the Connection

• COVID-19 and the HCH Community: Needed Actions from Public Health and Emergency Response Systems

• Building Connective Tissue for Effective Housing-Health Initiatives

• Homeless in the ED: Partnerships to Improve Care, Pt. 3 (1-hour webinar)

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“We All Have a Role to Play”: Jeff Olivet’s Full Remarks at NAEH Conference on Ending Homelessness. 

 

The 2nd Edition of the Three County Continuum of Care Newsletter has been released,  Read it Here!

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Four Rivers School Spotlight on Upstanders! 

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Read more from the Students at Four Rivers School on Upstanders in the community.  The students have been focusing on food insecurities and homelessness for the last year.  As part of the Livable Franklin County Unit in 8th grade at Four Rivers, students researched, interviewed, and wrote spotlight profiles about 11 different incredible upstanders in our community. To us, an upstander is someone who recognizes injustice in the world and not only takes action but dedicates themselves and their work to resolving the many inequities present in our communities.

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A Housing Vision for the Berkshires, has officially been made public!

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The Western Mass Network to End Homelessness

has released our Budget & Legislative Priorities!

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Sharing the new Executive Director of the USICH's inspiring vision for ending homelessness.

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Read about House America 

 

An All-Hands-on-Deck Effort to Address the Nation’s Homelessness Crisis is a federal initiative in which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) are inviting mayors, city and county leaders, tribal nation leaders, and governors into a national partnership. House America will utilize the historic investments provided through the American Rescue Plan to address the crisis of homelessness through a Housing First approach. Read the powerpoint here.

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Visit the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness blog to learn about upcoming advocacy needs!

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Racial Equity

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CE System Evaluation! Over the past 6 months, The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, in partnership with C4 Initiatives has evaluated our (along with other MA CoCs) Coordinated Entry System with an equity lens.  Their efforts were to enhance and maintain equitable housing outcomes. Service Providers, CoC staff and leads and people with lived experience completed surveys and/or participated in listening sessions to give their perspectives, our data was evaluated..and here are the results! 

 

You can find the public facing 2021 Three County CoC Racial Equity Action Plan here.  

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The Three County CoC, along with the Western Mass Network to End Homelessness, is dedicated to undoing structural racism and support Legislative priorities that address policies needed to increase equitable measures for people of color in the intersection of race and homelessness as well as upstream budget and bills that support funding to increase support for our most vulnerable populations.  Here are our 2022  Budget & Legislative Priorities!

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In the Media

 

Greenfield has a vision for Emergency Sheltering!  Read the vision and press release here and the Recorder article from June 2nd, 2022, here.

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Louison House Gets $500,000 to support youth housing in the Northern Berkshires, Matt Ristaino, Spectrum News 5.18.22

Homelessness still a top issue in the region, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 5.7.22

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Greenfield Health Dept. Proactive on addressing homelessness encampments, The Recorder, 4.28.22

 

The Homelessness Crisis: A Monster of our own making, Heidi Marston 4.25.22

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National Low Income Housing Coalition's National Shortage of Affordable Rental Housing, Report. 4.21.22

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Equity Measures being required of HUD! Secretary Fudge Announces Directive to Review HUD Policies Posing Barriers to Housing for People with criminal histories, Apr 18, 2022. 

 

Housing study sponsored by Way Finders with UMass Donahue Institute.   Springfield Republican and Daily Hampshire Gazette.  3.31.22, You can see the report here.

 

Three County Continuum of Care receives $3M to support housing services, Hampshire Gazette (and Recorder), Mary Byrne, 3.26.22

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Homeless in Pandemic, Hampshire Gazette, Aryan Rai, 3.14.22

 

2022 - Hampshire Gazette "Homeless population survey underway."

 

The Interfaith Council of Franklin County, awarded $25,000 by city of Greenfield, The Recorder, Mary Byrne, 2.11.22.

 

Northampton's Affordable housing challenge, guest columnist, Jim Reiss, Hampshire Gazette, 1.25.22

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National Healthcare for the Homeless - January 2022 - Healing Hands issue (featuring the Path Program of Eliot CHS)

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Service agencies gear up for sub-freezing temps, Mary Byrne, The Recorder 1.11.22

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My Turn - Help Needed for Homeless folks on a cold winter night, Amy Clarke - The Recorder 1.10.22

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Northampton Resilience HUB in the news!, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 12.29.21

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The Bill for My Homelessness Was $54,00, New York Times, 12.29.21

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Community Action Reaching Out on Youth Homelessness, Mary Byrne, The Recorder 12.24.21

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How should Massachusetts fund its emergency shelter system? Lawmakers vouch for regional equity, 24/7 shelters, Danny Jin, The Berkshire Eagle, 12.02.21

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Advocates urge the state to improve its shelter system, Claudia Chiappa, The Recorder, 11.25.21

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Pretreatment In Action: Interactive Exploration from Homelessness to Housing Stabilization, new publication from Jay Levy, 10/2021

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Federal Emergency Housing Vouchers Still coming to Berkshire County, Meg Britton-Mehlish, The Berkshire Eagle 9/8/21

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Advocates struggle to find homes for tenants with new emergency vouchers in Northampton area, Brian Steele, Daily Hampshire Gazette, 8/18/21

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