On a sunny spring afternoon, Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity volunteers are hard at work in Pittsfield’s Westside.
“So, this is two condos- One is four bedrooms, one is three bedrooms," Marketing Communications Manager Erin O’Brien told WAMC. "They are connected by a walkway. This is on Robbins Avenue in Pittsfield, in sort of the heart of our neighborhood here. And we're currently taking applications. We're closing those out at the beginning of June, and we're looking for owners.”
This neighborhood is one of Berkshire County’s poorest and densest communities. The historically Black district has suffered from decades of discriminatory redlining practices, a form of economic segregation that left crucial financial tools out of the hands of its residents. Crime is high, homeownership is low, and the impact of the statewide housing crisis driving prices sky high is felt deeply.
“For instance, in Pittsfield, a three or four bedroom would be maybe $300,000," explained O'Brien. "And in South County, they’re high as like $500,000 at this point.”
Habitat’s work as a nonprofit is to make more housing options available for those on the lower end of the economic spectrum.
“With a Habitat subsidy, these are going to be going for $148,000, I believe, and $156,000 – the four bedroom is $156,000 – and where can you get a brand-new home, four bedrooms for that in- Anywhere,” O’Brien laughed. “And we are offering it to 65% area median income people.”
That mission is greatly helped by AmeriCorps, which has been sending volunteers to communities around the U.S. for decades with the promise of a living stipend, college credits, and valuable job training. 19-year-old Pittsfielder Hayden Dearstyne is one of them.
“I wanted to come here and help the community and just build homes to for people that aren't as fortunate," he told WAMC.
While the promise of a head start in the construction field is part of the attraction of the program, he says he’s accrued something more than just experience working on homes for Habitat.
“I just feel pride in helping out the community and building homes for the less fortunate, that because the house market is crazy and because we're a nonprofit organization, we don't earn any money from selling these homes, because we sell them for a lower price than most homes like these would sell for,” said Dearstyne.
23-year-old Dakota McKnight, also a local, agrees.
“It's definitely brought me out of my shell a little more being around new people, more people," he told WAMC. "I've learned a good amount about the community and neighborhood since I'm also around here. It's good to know a little more than just where I'm at, and I think I'm just more skilled and stuff in this kind of job area and stuff like that.”
McKnight says his AmeriCorps journey has surpassed his expectations.
“To be honest, I didn't think we'd be building full on homes," he said. "I felt it could be maybe smaller things or kind of fixing homes- But being able to fully build a home, or fix up even a modular one this one, it's really cool, and it was surprising to be able to.”
A Taconic High School horticulture program graduate, Dearstyne says he wants to stay in the Berkshires and continue to develop his skills in the trades.
“Habitat actually helped me with getting an excavation license, and my old coworkers, getting their license too to operate heavy equipment, like excavators and everything," he told WMAC. "And I never thought I would have an opportunity to get to get that type of license- And that license opens a lot of opportunities for me.”
He first joined Habitat to help with landscaping, but says the move to construction was life-changing.
“I never really used to grow up in this area of the community," Dearstyne explained. "So, I get to see how people live in this type of area, and I see that it's harder than where I live. We've talked to people around the community, and they've talked to us and about their life and everything, and it's just- People aren't as fortunate as others, and it's actually pretty sad.”
Exemplifying AmeriCorps’ goal of fostering civic engagement, Dearstyne’s worldview has been expanded.
“It opens your mind to how the world is," he told WAMC. "Especially if you grew up in a higher class, it'll show you the lower-class community and see how their life is, and just kind of open your mind to the world.”
McKnight says he’s felt the impact of the AmeriCorps mission as well.
“I want to say yeah, definitely- A big range of people, especially people who are part of America and everything they come from, you know, different backgrounds. Different places and people do, who do the homes too? They come from everywhere. So, it's good learning and gaining more knowledge experience of people around”
April’s revelation that AmeriCorps’ staff and funding had been decimated by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has serious repercussions for both young men.
McKnight was hoping to use the volunteering opportunity to get his hydraulics license and continue to hone his skills while serving the community.
“Yeah, it definitely throws a curveball into it, since, at the moment, I don't have anything else," he said. "But hopefully I can get something around here and stuff like that to help with it all."
“If we don't get the funding, I'm going to have to go out and go to a facility and learn how to operate the heavy machinery like excavators, bulldozers and everything like that for a year or two, and then try to find a job that works with those types of machines,” Dearstyne told WAMC.
The cuts also threaten Habitat’s mission in the Berkshires.
“Certainly, for them, it's a big problem. For us, we're losing this labor that we depend on, the low-cost labor, and it slows us down. It's going to cost us money in the long run," O’Brien said. “These guys are here every day working as best as they can. They did all the siding themselves, these kids. We really depend on them to be here, and we are so overjoyed when, like, one of the young men just got hired by Walker Construction and we're so proud to see him go off- And, of course, we lost a really good worker, but with the AmeriCorps situation, he had to accept that job, so.”
With an ambitious slate of affordable housing projects around the county now thrown into disarray by the Trump administration, Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity is appealing to the community for help.
“If you could, you could tell your congressmen and senators that you support AmeriCorps," O'Brien said. "We have a challenge, donor match challenge going. A very nice couple have offered $5,000 if we can raise $5,000 by June 1st, and so that'll go directly to try and help these kids finish out their term and train them to interview and get jobs and enter the workforce.”
The volunteers agree the situation is unnecessary.
“It is stressful and scary situation because the government isn't around these areas and seeing the work we're actually doing and helping out, and they just think we're not really doing that much to help, but we're actually doing a lot to help out the community," Dearstyne told WAMC. "And it's actually pretty scary, because I feel like, if this program shuts down, it's not going to be good for the community.”
