Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority Eyeing Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority wants a new name to better clarify its range of services to the community.

On Wednesday at its Fenn Street offices, the organization's board approved the hiring of a firm to take the lead on its rebranding.

Executive Director Brad Gordon said the authority is highly regarded statewide and in the community but many times, there is confusion over who is administering the services it connects people with.

This, he explained, is a disservice to its mission of making certain that consumers are connected in a meaningful way and have access to a wide range of programming that the authority provides.

"We want to make certain that people connect the name of the organization with the great work that we're doing," Gordon said.

Established in 2001, BCRHA's mission is to develop opportunities that will assist Berkshire County households in securing the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to achieve self-sufficiency and household stability by:

  • Developing and implementing a continuum of services and programs that address the underlying causes of household instability and homelessness.
  • Assisting households to develop strategies to overcome barriers to self-sufficiency.
  • Collaborating with other human service providers, including grassroots organizations and faith-based organizations, to alleviate the causes and effects of household, housing, and community instability.

It is described as a nontraditional housing authority.

Burns Maxey of the firm Burnsmax will direct the rebrand. Kayla Allen, director of the Dispute Resolution Center, said Maxey knows what the needs are and that they will remain true.

The change is expected to happen in early 2024 and will involve engagement from the board and organization leading up to it.

"I think what I liked most about her is that she had this simple approach to things it was kind of like a refresh not a change, again, to what we're already doing and the services we're providing," Allen said.

"And so I think a lot of you know people when you do a rebrand, they can get really flashy and over the top and that's not who we are as an agency. We really just want to make sure that people are able to access our services, they understand what we do, and that how we present ourselves is inclusive of everything that we do."



Operations Director Alyssa Capitanio said it will be nice to not have to give every person a "101" on the services offered.

"We're not changing down to the work that we're doing," she said, adding that they are just making the change to allow people to better connect with the organization and understand its work.

Tenancy Preservation Program/Related Services Director Kim Borden pointed out that BCHRA is confused with so many other agencies.

"We start every presentation with 'We are not a traditional housing authority,'" she said.

"And some folks are a little disappointed because they think, 'Oh, I can get a Section 8, you have subsidized housing that you can assist me with,' and that overshadows, I feel, all the good work that we do and all the programs that we have to offer."

She said one of the biggest sticking points is the name confusion since expanding to the Pioneer Valley.

For the name selection, Gordon wants board members and staff to keep an open mind to all options.  He admitted to coming up with "Just Solutions" as a possibility but due process will be done to determine the new name.

This will include a survey as part of a discovery phase, according to Maxey.

BCRHA Annual Report 2022-2023 by Brittany Polito


Tags: Housing Authority,   

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Lanesborough Picks Information Panel for Public Safety Proposal

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town has a public safety building proposal to present to taxpayers, and now, an informational committee will help move the process forward.

On Monday, the Select Board voted to form a public safety building informational outreach committee and re-appointed four members: Dean Clement, Daniel MacWhinnie, Mark Siegars, and Lisa Dachinger.

"The Public Safety Building Committee has done their job. Now we need, hopefully with some of those same bodies, to form a new committee of some type and move forward," Select Board member Timothy Sorrell explained.

Earlier this month, the town officials voted to advance a $7.3 million combined police/emergency medical services facility to town meeting, discarding the option for a $6.5 million separate build.  The same design, then priced at $5.9 million, was shot down in 2023.

"There is the option to go to what could be a debt exclusion, which requires a two-thirds majority at either a special town meeting or an annual town meeting, and that can be followed by inclusion in a ballot," Town Administrator Gina Dario said.

Siegars advised that if the question goes to a ballot first with a fixed project budget, that amount can't be changed for a subsequent special town meeting vote.

"In our discussions, there are committee members who are willing to stay on if you wanted to continue the committee or appoint to new one, who have volunteered to be involved with any public information sessions to try to answer the questions with the idea that that they would also explore further and work with Gina and town counsel on specifically what the question should be for a special town meeting, and if, if warranted a subsequent ballot vote," he reported.

Chairman Michael Murphy echoed the former committees' arguments that the town can't explore grants and financing until it has approved an amount.

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