Warren’s office frames the trip to Berkshire County as an effort to highlight the impact of federal investments in Western Massachusetts. The Democrat is campaigning for her third six-year term in the Senate. Her itinerary includes roundtables with Volunteers in Medicine, the Berkshire Black Economic Council, and Soldier On. WAMC spoke with each group’s leader to find out what they want the influential Democrat to take away from her trip.
“Senator Warren's visit really aims to highlight the critical work being done at VIM to provide free medical, dental and mental health services to the most vulnerable in Berkshire County, and we're hoping to focus on ensuring an understanding of the challenges and successes of such a community-based health initiative," said Ilana Steinhauer, Executive Director of Volunteers in Medicine, a Great Barrington-based nonprofit that recently opened a Pittsfield location at 199 South Street. “I think that we're hoping that this visit is going to draw attention to the need for supportive policies and fundings that can enhance the capabilities of organizations such as VIM and other organizations in Berkshire County that are really working to meet the needs of our community. We are excited and honored that we will be receiving $441,000 because of the work of Senator Warren and Markey through their congressional directed spending to help with this expansion into Pittsfield.”
Since its grand opening this spring, Steinhauer says the new space has been a smashing success.
“We've increased our ability to recruit new volunteers, increase educational opportunities for the local residents at the healthcare systems and really, really provide equitable healthcare for those who did not have access prior,” she told WAMC.
Warren’s next stop takes her to the Berkshire Black Economic Council in downtown Pittsfield. Since 2021, the nonprofit has worked to connect Black businesses with resources, support, and trainings in an effort to level the playing field for a community long denied equitable access to the market.
“We've began our cohort for technical assistance, and that is partnership that we have with Interise, and we're running modules out of our conference room space, giving entrepreneurs coaching around marketing, their finances, resources, key tips to leadership and otherwise out of this space. And it's really exciting to see entrepreneurs work towards developing their three-year growth plans," said Founder and Executive Director AJ Enchill. “If we're doing a snapshot of where we were at last year versus where we're at this year, last year, we had a volunteer-based Black Arts Council. This year we have a fully staffed Black Arts Council, and the arts manager is now on our team on a part-time basis, but serving artists in our communities, and our grant making efforts supporting local youth artists have now scaled. We have nearly doubled the amount of resources that we can give back to artists.”
Enchill says he’s looking forward to speaking with Warren about the need for ongoing support for the organization’s long-term goals, which include opening an incubator for Black businesses in the William Stanley Business Park on the former General Electric campus.
“It's a facility for entrepreneurism," he explained. "And we're giving space, but also shared equipment and tools for our clients to work in so they can not be so burdened by the cost of starting up their business, but being coached with the curriculum that's necessary for any business owner to take their idea and build it to transform a dream to a reality.”
The last stop in Warren’s Pittsfield tour is at Soldier On, a nonprofit that works to end veteran homelessness.
“The Senator has visited our property in Leeds on the VA campus, probably five or six years ago, so she's familiar with us on a couple different levels, and we're really hoping to show the progress that we've made. The Pittsfield campus has a little bit of everything on it, from transitional housing to long-term permanent housing, as well as some other services," said CEO Bruce Buckley. “Some of the items that we still are addressing are, some of them are technical, it doesn't require new money, it requires looking at some of the definitions of who's eligible for certain programs and who's ineligible, and how that really needs to be looked at. And again, that, at some level is pretty, it needs to be done at the congressional level, and it's somewhat obscure, but it gives me an opportunity to share that with the senator, and then, I think, meet the veterans and listen to the veterans.”
Buckley estimates that Solider On serves around 100 veterans a night through its transitional program.
He tells WAMC that he wants to impress the need for more federal service money on Warren during her visit.
“There's money to build buildings, there's not a ton of additional money to support the buildings with staff and other services like transportation," he told WAMC. "And we're looking at the VA level to kind of add some of that funding that is specific to the ongoing operation of a building once it's built, because permanent housing is often the most successful piece that we can build the housing but stay with the veteran as a support system, and one of the struggles is we only receive rent, and not that rent can't be stretched, because we stretch it as far as we can, but service money would be a big piece that we're working with the VA, and I'd love her support and kind of input there.”
