LUCAS WILLARD: WAMC Berkshire Bureau Chief Josh Landes joins us now.
Hello Josh!
JOSH LANDES: Hello Lucas!
Take us back to the beginning of Pittsfield's camping ban – where did this all start?
Mayor Marchetti's initial proposal would have criminalized overnight camping on any public property or any private property “not designated and equipped for such camping.” He said it was both a public health measure and a response to complaints from business owners in the city's core along North Street:
“The sanitation issue is something loud and clear that we're hearing from the downtown merchants and the feces that we're finding in the downtown and the needles that we're finding in the downtown. What is the cause and how can we ensure that, from a sanitation standpoint, that is cleaned up?”
One of those business owners is David Tierney, who accused the city of essentially burdening property owners with an issue that he said social services and the police department should handle with their taxpayer-funded budgets:
"If you truly believe the drug addicted are not the problem and you think that that it's a good thing to let them sleep in our doorways, please walk in our shoes. Take the drug addicted home where you have invested all your money, where your livelihood is. Let them sleep on your porch. Let them use your sidewalk as a toilet. Let them leave dirty needles in your bushes. Let them steal your stuff. Let them have sex behind your garage, in front of the neighbor's kids, because this is all what is happening on North Street.”
The idea that Pittsfield would arrest or fine unhoused community members immediately faced harsh criticism from activists, clergy members, and people experiencing homelessness.
Joseph Daigneault is a homeless Pittsfielder who addressed the City Council last June:
“Some of us, we have no choice. You guys lock up bathrooms, we can't use a facility anywhere, then we get arrested for using bathroom on the streets. What are we supposed to do? There's no place for us to charge our phones. There's no humanity left for us. So, when we act like animals, it's because you guys, it's because the community as a whole portrays us that way. We are umbrellaed as one person. Yes, there are homeless people that are drug addicts. Yes, there's homeless people that cause problems on North Street. Yes, that is true. But there's also homeless people that try to do the right thing, that try every day everything to get back to where they were.”
In one of the first major revisions to the ban, the City Council voted to strip the it of any criminalizing language. But the body was still uncomfortable with the general idea in the face of such persistent outcry from members of the Pittsfield community.
So heading into last night's council meeting, where did things stand?
By the end of 2025, the City Council had embraced pushing Mayor Marchetti to find other means of confronting homelessness in Pittsfield — from public health perspectives to housing issues — and had sent the ban off to the Pittsfield Board of Health for their analysis and feedback. That's what the council heard last night.
And what did that board have to say?
Members unequivocally called for the ban to be dropped entirely in favor of a currently nonexistent consistent municipal approach to homelessness, saying that they believed "a public health and a continued thoughtful community outreach plan will provide the best chance at addressing the challenge of homelessness in our community," saying that it should be "driven by metrics, and anchored by strong partnerships with existing public and municipal service agencies." They said that "enforcement actions [will be] required for illegal behaviors," but that "overall emphasis will be social action and follow-up support." This led to the unanimous vote to can the ban from the 11-member legislative body.
So what comes next in Pittsfield's efforts to address unhoused residents?
Mayor Marchetti and the Board of Health say that they want to try a Division of Community Care model similar to fellow Western Mass community Northampton. Marchetti offered details during his State of the City address last month:
"This DCC is a public health led, person centered and trauma informed response and support team that serves as a resource for individuals experiencing homelessness and or substance use related matters. This informative visit will assist us as we reform our process and establish a system that will meet the needs of our homeless population. We are committed to continuing our exploration and implementing models like what Northampton and other communities are using. This will be incorporated within our health department. We are looking at models to help us reduce stigma while also providing the necessary support.”
The Board of Health also wants to add two homelessness service coordinator positions to its roster. Those municipal employees would offer daily support to unhoused people in Pittsfield and help connect them with resources. Pittsfield has invested in an array of new housing opportunities over the last half decade, many of which are finally coming on line this winter.
WAMC Berkshire Bureau Chief Josh Landes. Thanks Josh!
Thank you Lucas!
