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North Adams COA February Newsletter
Adams COA February Newsletter
Williamstown COA Facebook Page for Calendar & Updates
Child Care of the Berkshires February Calendar
North Adams Public Library Calendar
Milne Library Calendar
NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Second Street Second Chances will begin facilitating a weekly Living in Freedom Together (LIFT) support group for female survivors of human trafficking on Monday, January 8 at 3 pm. LIFT is a nonprofit organization committed to ending the sex trade. The support group will be held in four-week cycles at 2nd Street, located at 264 Second Street, Pittsfield. Preregistration is required; to enroll, call (413) 443-7220, ext. 1275.
The 1Berkshire Youth Leadership Program is currently accepting applications for the class of 2025. The deadline to apply is February 16th. This is a year-long program for Juniors in highschool and Junior-aged homeschool students in Berkshire County. It kicks off with a 2.5 day retreat June 7-9, then monthly day-long sessions from August thru March with graduation being in April 2025. This is meant to be a program that serves and elevates those who have not necessarily had access to robust leadership development opportunities previously, not just the "top students" in a district, as we find those students grow the most through participation. For more information: https://1berkshire.com/1berkshire-programs/youth-leadership-program/
We'd greatly appreciate it if you could reach out to those in your network who may have current high school Sophomores or know others with Sophomores that could benefit from this program. The direct link: https://form.jotform.com/233314847456158
If you or someone you know is looking for public health insurance options such as coverage through MassHealth of Massachusetts Health Connector we may be able to help. MassHealth not only provides health insurance coverage but may also provide “Premium Assistance” to qualifying individuals who are enrolled in employer plans. Ecu-Health Care provides a free public service and is available to assist with applications, annual reviews and renewals, plan selection and enrollment, submission of requests for information or just general information. Give us a call at 663-8711 or stop by the office at 99 Hospital Ave Suite 208, North Adams to schedule an appointment with one of our Health Coverage Counselors.
Ashes to Go on Ash Wednesday February 14th at All Saints Episcopal Church, 59 Summer Street, North Adams from 7:00am-11:00am.
As of next week, Berkshire Food Project will be back to serving a hot nutritious meal 5 days a week! Come in and enjoy a meal, Monday - Friday from 11:30 to 1. ALL are welcome - no questions asked. We are so incredibly excited to be back to serving our community 5 days a week. We couldn't do it without our amazing volunteers! Please share this post to spread the word.
FREE Tax Prep in Berkshire County
BCAC VITA season runs from January 31 - April 15, 2024. This year BCAC is offering two options for tax preparation:
Drop Off Service Clients can come to either location to drop off taxes. North Adams Suite 201, 85 Main Street. Please make copies of ALL Tax documents. A copier is available Monday - Thursday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., outside of our office. We WILL NOT accept ANY original documents. Please make copies of ALL documents, including ID. Fill out the intake and consent forms located in a box labeled VITA outside of our office, put the copies in an envelope and drop through our secure mail slot.
In-Person Tax Preparation. Schedule your appointment at one of BCAC’s VITA locations:
• BCAC Suite 201, 85 Main Street, North Adams • Berkshire Athenaeum, 2nd floor
• Greylock Community Empowerment Center • 18 Degrees Family Service
• Berkshire Community College
The BCAC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides FREE federal and state tax return preparation for:
• individuals who make $64,000 or less
• persons with disabilities
• limited English speaking taxpayers
Food for All is CHP's mobile farm stand, which travels to CHP practice locations each week loaded with food grown by local farmers. Stop in on pickup days and grab a bag filled with produce from local Berkshire farmers.
Everyone deserves healthy, local food! CHP makes that happen. Have questions? We can help! Give us a call at (413).528.0457. For a full listing of locations: chpberkshires.org/family/food-for-all
2nd and 4th Mondays of the month | 1-2:30 PM, CHP North Adams Family Medical and Dental, 71 Hospital Avenue, North Adams
1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month | 1-2:30 PM CHP Adams Family Services, 19 Depot Street, Adams
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED:
We are looking for at least three people who would like to be coaches for a new Girls on the Run program starting in March. The program will run two afternoons a week and ends with a celebration 5K on a college campus.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A RUNNER TO BE A COACH! Girls on the Run is a confidence building program that includes running. Not a runner? No problem.
If you are new to Girls on the Run please check out their website https://www.girlsontherun.org and their Fall Video.
Interested? Contact: coleen.ryan@girlsontherun.org / 413-374-3436
Berkshire Bounty is hiring a North County Cooler Coordinator. Please see the job description attached. If interested, send a resume and cover letter to info@berkshirebounty.org.
The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is working with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute on a long-term plan to improve internet and electronic device access, affordability, and digital literacy. We identified your organization as either one currently providing residents digital support, or a trusted community resource positioned to do so.
We would like to know your interest in expanding your work or starting new programs. Please take this short survey about your capacity to provide digital services and what you need to bolster your work in these areas.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/digitaldivideBerkshires
Remedy Hall, a new charitable organization in Williamstown, MA., offering basic life necessities to those in need, free of charge. The “shop” will open on November 1 in room B4 of the First Congregational Church, 906 Main Street.
Remedy Hall plans to offer non-food necessities, such as personal hygiene items, winter clothing (hats, scarves, mittens, jackets), kitchenware, towels, blankets, etc. We will also stock tents and sleeping bags for those in the most dire of situations. We welcome tangible donations from the community.
If we don’t have something that satisfies an urgent need, we will work to find it.
Starting November 1st our hours are 1 to 5 Monday through Friday (subjectto expand as we get going). For those with urgent need, we are always available and can be reached through phone/text and Facebook messenger. 413-884-3051.
Join your neighbors, and start with a no-cost Mass Save Home Energy Assessment. You may be eligible for:
- No-cost energy-saving products
- Programmable thermostats, high-efficiency faucet aerators and showerheads, and advanced power strips
- Discounts on high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and appliances
- No-cost air sealing
- 100% off for rental units and moderate income
- households
- 75-100% off approved insulation upgrades
If you or your tenants qualify as low-income, you may be eligible for additional benefits through your Community Action Program (CAP) agency. There are also benefits for 5+ unit buildings. Learn more on the website below. Get your energy assessment today:
masssave.com/berkshires , (413) 613-4937
Beginning September 25, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home. Before You Throw Out "Expired" Tests: Check to see if your COVID-19 tests' expiration dates have been extended.
SEEKING PARTICIPANTS:In this research study, supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, we are interested in learning how parents pass on anxiety to their kids and whether a smartphone app can help parents develop healthier mental habits and feel less anxious.
This is a fully remote study. If eligible, parents will be able to earn up to $360 in compensation. Here are some of the questions we are interested in:
- How do parents and kids mental habits and anxiety relate to each other?
- Can a smartphone app help parents develop healthier mental habits?
- Can helping parents with mental habits positively impact their kids?
Participation in this study includes:
(1) Completing an initial set of interviews, cognitive tasks and surveys on your home computer, tablet, or smartphone (2-3 hours).
(2) Completing brief exercises and assessments on your smartphone up to 3 times per week for 4 weeks.
(3) A post-assessment with tasks and surveys.
(4) A brief follow-up assessment and comprehensive report of your responses.
People can reach out to this email (mclcarelabstudies@partners.org) or call 617-855-2036. The direct link to our screening survey (which details the study and assesses eligibility) is https://redcap.link/rnpwi9n0, if you'd like to include that as well.
NB EMS has a partnership with Berkshire Post Overdose Program (BPOP) to send teams out and provide outreach to those who have recently experienced an overdose and/or are at risk for future overdose.
Outreach:
- Wellness checks
- Overdose education and Narcan leave behind
- Linkage to recovery supports
- Harm Reduction
- Treatment resources
- Linkage to additional community resources
Services to be offered in the field include, but are not limited to:
• Naloxone leave-behind/ training
• Provide a written resource guide such as the BOAPC palm card
• Provide a wellness check, including wound care and other health needs that can be addressed in the field by EMTs and Paramedics
• Check-in on current use / recovery. This could include offering harm reduction supplies, such as clean needles or safer smoking supplies, and a “warm hand-off” to a treatment/ recovery provider if the person is interested.
• Create an “Overdose Safety Plan” for the person, potentially involving family, friends and/or others in the building
• For those who voluntarily disclose they are in treatment, discuss challenges they may be facing and provide direct support to help overcome them (ie connection to transportation, assistance with forms,
etc) as well as additional options to consider (ie other recovery options, connection to Sublocade, etc)
• Linkage for other needs, such as social workers, housing agencies, mental health services and/or domestic violence resources, along with other ways to get them out into the community
Communities serviced at this time: North Adams, Clarksburg, Florida, Williamstown, Hancock, New Ashford, Monroe and Rowe. Please return any referrals directly to aoneil@northadamsambulance.com or they can be dropped off at 10 Harris St North Adams Ma.
The Mass Department of Public Health’s Community Health Equity Survey (CHES) has just been launched. We need to make sure we have rural voices and experiences in the survey results too! We sincerely hope you will take the survey, and that as a trusted partner in public health, that you will help us spread the word about it.
Some ways you can help:
- Send a link to family, friends, and colleagues in Massachusetts
- Promote the survey on organizational mailing lists
- Post about survey on social media
- Post flyers about the survey in places like beauty/barber shops, food pantries, grocery stores
- Use staff or volunteers to identify and support survey takers
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Promote the survey in your email signature. Just add “Take the Community Health Equity Survey: mass.gov/HealthSurvey” to your email signature.
Berkshire United Way is collecting a list of opportunities that are teen friendly.
https://www.volunteerberkshireuw.org/manager/need/edit/?need_id=821940
To add to the list contact Brenda Petell (she/her/hers)
Director of Volunteer Engagement, M: 413-212-1431
Message from NB EMS: Know someone who recently overdosed? Have you overdosed recently? We can help! NB EMS, in partnership with the Berkshire Post Overdose Program, will outreach to anyone who has recently experienced an overdose and/or is at risk for future overdose. We can provide wellness checks, overdose education and naloxone kits, links to recovery support, harm reduction (including supplies), treatment resource, community engagement outlets, overdose safety plans.. Find out more: 413-398-9155 or aoneil@northadamsambulance.com
The Adams Theater is offering FREE student tickets and community passes to their 2023 season. Available upon request at info@adamstheater.org
Welcome North County Residents!
Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont would love to meet you. Our career center is open on Thursday from 9:00-4:00 p.m.
Drop in and meet Kelly Brennan, Director of Mission Services and learn how she can
help you get ready for a job, build your resume or coach you for your interview.
(You can also call 413-442-0061 x35 to arrange an appointment on another day)
Is there room in your home and heart for a foster child? There are over 7,000 children in the MA foster care system. The Department of Children and Families is actively recruiting foster parents for children in your community. We are searching for individuals or families with the love and patience to help foster children. You can be single, married, partnered, divorced or widowed. You can own your home or rent.
Our goal is to provide our foster children with a supportive and healing environment in a home in their own community until they can be reunited with their families or another plan can be made on their behalf. The rewards of providing daily care, guidance and acceptance are immeasurable.
If you are thinking about becoming a foster parent, we urge you to call us today! Your local recruiter can be reached at
(413)387-7192
1800-KIDS-508/ mass.gov/dcf
BCAC has also launched a community needs survey to get feedback to inform their program planning for the next three years.
Berkshire Community Action Council (BCAC) would like your input.
Your responses will help us to design or modify our programs to better meet your needs and the needs of our community. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. The information you provide will be confidential and you will/cannot be identified. Your input will help us with our program planning for the next three years. To take the survey, please go to the link below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T6K8G9N.
MassHire is now hosted in a satellite office in North Adams every Tuesday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at 74 Church Street, at the North Adams Library, North Adams, MA. The following services are available:
· Career Planning
- Employment Counseling
- Local Job Listings – Updated Daily
- Job Search Assistance
- Online Job Application Assistance
- Labor Market Information
- Occupational Skills Training Information (Eligibility Applies)
And if a customer contacts us needing something that is not listed, we are more than happy to discuss accommodations.CALL TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT TIME TODAY! REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Call MassHire Berkshire Career Center at (413) 499-2220 Ext. 110 to book an appointment time. Appointment duration: 30 Minutes
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development understands that our schools are often called upon to assist in connecting families to key resources such as housing, health services and access to food. To assist in helping to connect you with these resources I wanted to share the links to our Massachusetts Housing Resource Guide that is available in both English and Spanish. This guide is also available in hard copy by emailing ma_webmanager@hud.gov. The guide includes information on a number of different housing and homeless services that are available to assist families. All of this information and a fillable online form to request housing support is also available on the BCRHA website: https://bcrha.com
Housing Navigator MA,Inc. is a tech nonprofit that aims to connect housing, tech, and design. Working with owners and public sector partners, we’ve built a database of income-restricted rentals from all over the state. Our work aims to connect people to a place called home by expanding access to affordable rental housing in MA through our work with 40+ owners who list their properties with us.For more information or to explore the site please visit https://housingnavigatorma.org.
Mass Health has launched a new program called Mitigating the Cost of Housing Program (MATCH).The program will allow clients to receive funds to support moving into a new apartment. This would include all managed care plans (Berkshire Fallon, Tufts Together, CommonWealth Care Alliance, MBHP).
- Eligible families can receive up to $5500 per member in their family. This means a family of four could get as much as $22,000
- To qualify you must be entering the community:
- Renting an apartment that is not currently in your name (just moving in/new lease)
- This could include new members to the community
- People house sharing
- People just getting out of Rehab, Prison or a Psychiatric Hospitalization
- Homeless and moving into an apartment
For more information and to review eligibility criteria please visit Masshealth's MATCH website.
North Adams Public Schools is establishing a roster of volunteers for a variety of opportunities in grades PK-12. Volunteer opportunities will vary with regard to time commitment and age groups of students that volunteers will work with. Opportunities can be tailored to meet all interests of all parties and can be short-term or longer-term commitments. Even if you are only available for only a few hours a year, opportunities that are low-commitment but high-impact arise all the time! We will reach out as matching volunteer positions become available. We ask any interested parties to complete this form. If you have questions about the questionnaire or volunteering with NAPS, please email familysupports@napsk12.org.
The Massachusetts telehealth service for COVID-19 treatment can now be accessed by a telephone number (833-273-6330) in addition to the website below. The telehealth service can tell you if the COVID-19 pill is right for you, and the pills can be sent to your pharmacy or to your home for free.Please see this new flyer and share this new resource with your residents. Translated versions will be ready soon.
Easy, free care for COVID-19 (color.com)
COVID-19 In-Home Vaccination Program (info link below). This is for anyone who has difficulty getting to,or using a community vaccination location, for whatever reason. This program is available statewide, including the Islands. Ages 6 months and up. (What a great way to get an entire busy family with young kids vaccinated – or folks who have transportation issues- or homebound elders!) More Information. All vaccine types (Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax, and J&J) and boosters are available. You can sign up for an appointment by phone at (833) 983-0485 or online.
COVID-19 In-Home Vaccination Program | Mass.gov
MassHire is now sitting at the BCAC office every Tuesdays (9am-3pm). They are offering help with job searches (not unemployment). People can make an appointment by calling 413-499-2220. They do also accept walk-ins. Masks are required.
DTA North Adams Satellite Office located at 45 Main Street in North Adams. Effective October 1, the North Adams Satellite Office will be open for business on Tuesdays from 8:45am – 5:00pm; the office will no longer be open on Thursdays, after October 1. The agency will have signs on the door to notify clients and will be updating the mass.gov website.Clients can continue to use the DTA Assistance line 877-382-2363, DTA Connect mobile app and DTAConnect.com for their DTA needs.
BCAC is seeking volunteer van drivers! For those interest in learning more of applying please contact Michelle Sylvester at (413) 418-3675 or email: msylvester@bcacinc.org
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