from Connections, Summer 2023 newsletter If you are facing eviction, you do not have to move out just because your landlord told you to, sent you a notice to quit, or sent you a Summary Process Summons and Complaint. You only have to move out if the court orders you to move out. If your […]
September 5, 2023 Massachusetts requires every town in the state to have 10% Affordable Housing. The SHI lists every town in Massachusetts along with their percentage of affordable housing. Congratulations to Great Barrington for crossing the 10% threshold! Williamstown also made a marginal increase. And Becket finally got on the scoreboard because of Construct’s work. […]
from Connections, Summer 2023 newsletter Since July 2022, Construct has contributed over $125,000 to provide community members with rental assistance. Construct’s permanent housing locations have provided safe and affordable shelter for hundreds of people, but the waitlist is long and slow-moving. There are currently 462 households waiting, and the list grows by the day. Creating […]
from Connections, Summer 2023 Newsletter In the past year, Construct has seen the southern Berkshires take leaps of faith from “Not in My Backyard” to proclaiming “Yes in OUR Backyard!” NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) is the acronym that describes the sense that while affordable housing is needed, many don’t want it in their community. […]
The Berkshire County Summit for Housing & Food Insecurity—Sept. 22 in Lenox Due to the housing crisis in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Governor Healey has declared a state of emergency to spotlight the issue and to begin working immediately to solve the problem. The Berkshire County Summit for Housing & Food Insecurity, organized by Representative Smitty […]
— Berkshire Eagle “According to a new study, the answer is $27 if you live in Pittsfield, well above the state’s minimum wage of $15. That’s a problem, housing advocates say, as wages aren’t keeping pace with the cost of housing in the area. The study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, titled “Out […]
— Spectrum News 1 “Construct Inc. has announced a “final mile” closing cost grant of $2,500 for buyers in south Berkshire County, which includes 18 towns. There are 36 available grants, according to Construct Inc. housing navigator Kate Coulehan. Applicant eligibility is based on area median income and the town of the home they are […]
Massachusetts Legal Aid has compiled 15 booklets to help MA residents facing foreclosure or eviction. The booklets have practical information about the steps one must take to protect your rights. You may be able to get free legal help from your local legal aid program. If you cannot get a lawyer from your local legal […]
May 12, 2023 Great Barrington, Mass. – Construct has announced a “final mile” closing cost grant of $2,500 available to low-to-moderate-income south Berkshire County residents to help create access to home ownership. Massachusetts State Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli successfully introduced an amendment to the Massachusetts American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in the Fiscal 2023 Budget, […]
— 250 Strong Showed Up for Housing Justice in Western Massachusetts On Friday May 12th, Leigh Davis, Construct’s Communications and Community Engagement Director, joined 250 Western Massachusetts community members to focus on ending homelessness and housing insecurity in our region. The event, at Holyoke Community College, was attended by senators, representatives, legislators and mayors, as […]
Congratulations to Construct’s executive director, Jane Ralph, for being the recipient of this year’s Berkshire Women’s Impact Award. Jane was chosen for this honor “for your work, dedication to the Berkshire community, and the positive Impact made in the lives of the people you serve.” She is a worthy recipient!
Join us for this April 15th concert at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire. All proceeds for this concert will benefit Construct and the Religious Action Center of Massachusetts. Doug Mishkin is a longtime singer-songwriter in the Jewish community best known for his folk anthem “Woody’s Children.”
Construct, South Berkshires’ leading affordable housing provider, is pleased to appoint Leigh Davis as Communications and Community Engagement Director. Davis has been instrumental in creating real, tangible change in the Southern Berkshires through her position as Construct’s Development Director as well as her broader advocacy for housing opportunity. She was instrumental in acquiring Windflower Inn […]
Construct’s 2023 Warm Up the Winter fundraiser was held Thursday March 2, 2023 at Egremont Barn. The concert was a huge success, as was the campaign, which has thus far raised over $90,000 to help in-need Berkshire residents with fuel cost issues they face during the winter months. Lauren Ambrose and Gary Happ served as […]
Construct’s 2023 Warm Up the Winter fundraiser was held Thursday March 2, 2023 at Egremont Barn in the Berkshires. The concert was an enormous success, as was the campaign, which has thus far raised nearly $90,000 to help our neighbors. Lauren Ambrose and Gary Happ emcee’d the fun-filled annual benefit concert with the the Berkshire […]
Jane Ralph, executive director of Construct, spoke at the recent Distinguished Lecture series at Lenox Library focused on the “hidden people” of the Southern Berkshires. — Berkshire Eagle, March 2, 2023 “The Hidden People of the Berkshires” are not deliberately hiding; they’re simply so busy scraping together their wages to pay for basic food and […]
Annual Winter Campaign Focuses on the High Fuel and Electricity Costs Impacting Berkshire Households Construct will launch their annual Warm Up the Winter campaign on January 30, 2023. Focusing specifically on the issues Berkshire residents face during the winter months, the assistance campaign promises to help area residents—homeless, low income, and middle income Berkshire residents, including […]
1,000 New Applicants Seek Fuel Assistance in the Berkshires — The Berkshire Eagle PITTSFIELD — With the increase in utility prices and the general rate of inflation, more folks are seeking aid to pay for heat and power through the LIHEAP program administered in Berkshire County by the Berkshire Community Action Council. As of Tuesday, […]
Chronogram Magazine — January 1, 2023 By Hannah Van Sickle The purest form of democracy is alive and well in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Each May, taxpayers come together at Monument Mountain Regional High School—or the parking lot there, as has been the case this past few years—to convene in an open meeting and vote on […]
Construct, an affordable housing developer, has scooped up a Gilded Age estate at auction and plans to convert its mansion into 11 affordable and low-income apartments. Two separate houses in mostly cosmetic disrepair on the 20-acre property also will be fixed up and rented to workers at affordable rates. One will be occupied by the […]
And to the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce has named Construct Inc. and the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire as the recipients of its Humanitarian Award this year. “Both organizations are very important because they have put hard work into developing affordable housing opportunities,” executive director Betsy […]
Our Opinion: A workforce housing project in Great Barrington is a unique prototype to keep our eyes on It’s a problem we hear from so many Berkshire business-owners: In communities that are heavy on service-sector jobs but light on housing that workers can afford, attracting a sustainable workforce is a tall order. Sticky problems like […]
“Homeownership for middle income folks is largely out of range,” Ralph told WAMC. “Affordable housing is completely filled. We have very low vacancy in ours, I know the same is true for the other affordable housing options, and there’s not much else. So those folks who are in the middle We’re looking for just a […]
“One of Irwin’s visions will be realized this month when affordable housing nonprofit Construct Inc. stepped in to buy the Windflower Inn to convert it to shared temporary housing for workers. Construct sealed the deal on Thursday. It was a long road. As Irwin and Firth searched for properties and land, Irwin spotted the 20-bedroom, […]
Inn to be put to use for workforce housing — From The Berkshire Edge, December 1, 2022 “Another grand old Berkshire retreat has been acquired by those working to address South County’s dire lack of affordable housing. The 13-bedroom Windflower Inn, just north of South Egremont village, will be sold to Construct, Inc. on Thursday, […]
The Baker-Polito administration just announced all 337 Community One Stop for Growth awards, including the 101 Community Planning, Housing Choice, and Rural and Small Town awards being made through DHCD. Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Undersecretary of Community Development Ashley Stolba and MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera were joined by state and […]
Early on in the project, Construct was proud to have been involved in writing the feasibility study for the new housing development. Great Barrington has secured a $3.2 million MassWorks grant to pay for infrastructure work at a planned affordable housing development on North Plain Road in Housatonic. The project, a collaboration between the town […]
Through the Attorney General’s Abandoned Housing Initiative Receivership Fund (AHIR), which incentivizes the conversion of blighted properties into affordable housing units, Construct was designated a court appointed receiver. With this appointment, Construct created the first affordable housing unit in Becket by rehabilitating a long-abandoned 3-bedroom property in town. Situated on 2.9 acres, the property has easy access to many ideal amenities for […]
Donate to our General Fund Who are our neighbors struggling with homelessness and housing instabilty? Construct’s expanding waitlist for housing includes: Help us keep our communities healthy and thriving. Help us eradicate homelessness and housing instability. Give once or give monthly. Your donations are greatly in need, appreciated, and transformational. Tax deductible donations can be made […]
Construct is pleased to announce our latest acquisition: the stately Cassilis Farm in New Marlborough. “We are thrilled that we were able to acquire the property at a favorable price and that we are going to be able to bring thirteen affordable housing units to New Marlborough and still keep the historic nature of this […]
For 52 years, Construct’s mission has been simple: to provide affordable housing to strengthen and diversify communities, stabilize lives, and empower individuals to build a better future. Our newsletters help us build bonds by letting our community know about our latest endeavors, undertakings, and all the good people who participate.
By Sheela Clary “There’s an 80-year-old woman living at the shelter because her landlord raised her rent and she couldn’t afford it. That’s gonna be all of us. When the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine comes down, perhaps we should replace it with a black circle and square on a bright red background, the […]
Lenox, Mass. — The Lenox Afforable Housing Trust would like to make the public aware that one of the homes offered for sale by lottery is still available for sale at the reduced price of $230,000. The home, located at 8 Hynes Street, is now available to any first-time homebuyer whose household income falls at or below the […]
According to The Berkshire Eagle’s recent article, Chronic Homelessness Just Doubled Across Western Massachusetts. Experts Are Clear About Why: The number of people found to be chronically homeless across western Massachusetts more than doubled this year, jumping from 118 to 303 people. The reasons are known. The solutions remain elusive. “We have nowhere near enough housing […]
The first annual Shopper’s Choice Awards have been announced by Shopper’s Guide, a weekly publication that has supported the Southern Berkshires community and the local economy for over fifty years. Readers of the guide were recently asked to vote on the businesses and organizations that make the region so special. Construct has been voted the Southern Berkshires’ BEST COMMUNITY […]
On April 28th, Lenox artist Margaret McTeigue will exhibit her work at Berkshire Money Management’s Open House in Great Barrington. McTeigue’s evocative artwork will be on exhibit the entire month of May, and 100% of the proceeds will go to support Construct’s work to increase affordable housing in the Berkshires. Please join us:Thursday, April 28, from 2:30-5:30 […]
Construct, the leading nonprofit provider of affordable housing and supportive services to south Berkshire County residents in need, is now accepting applications for a three-bedroom, two-bath house on 2.9 acres in Becket, MA for $250,000.
A frontline worker’s firsthand account of the housing crisis in the Berkshires, as told by Jessica Winn to Sheela Clary. This story was first published in the Berkshire Edge. I was gonna be homeless. We had nowhere to go. Through word of mouth, thank God, my friend was moving out of her three-bedroom duplex in […]
1Berkshire and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Launch A Housing Vision for the Berkshires 1Berkshire, in partnership with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) and with support of a broad working group comprising housing practitioners from throughout Berkshire County, is excited to announce the launch of A Housing Vision for the Berkshires, a regional strategy intended […]
Wanda Houston and Friends present a benefit for emergency assistance. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2022 AT 7 PM – 8 PM
Construct, the leading nonprofit provider of affordable housing and supportive services to south Berkshire County residents in need, is now accepting applications for a three-bedroom, two-bath house on 2.9 acres in Becket, MA for $250,000.
Grateful to the First Congregational Church of Great Barrington, United Church of Christ for their donation of $1,255 to our Warm Up the Winter fundraiser!
A number of rural communities are dealing with some of the same challenges. Inclusive zoning and other regulations can help.
Thank you to all who joined our successful Affordable Housing 101 Webinar on December 14! We had over forty participants!
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