Williamstown Select Board Offers Financial Support to Louison House Shelter
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- The Select Board on Monday supported a plan to allocate a portion of the town's American Rescue Plan funds to support a winter homeless shelter in Adams to serve the Northern Berkshire community.
Williamstown resident Michael Goodwin, the current president of the board of Louison House, told the board that the non-profit has secured $175,000 in state funds toward a $200,000 project to establish a shelter at the Mount Royal Inn on Route 8 in Adams.
Louison House officials are appealing to Adams, North Adams and Williamstown to help address the shortfall.
"This is a community issue we've been addressing for years, and we can't rely solely on the Community Chest, United Way and donations from individuals," Goodwin said.
Goodwin told the Select Board that Louison House receives a lot of referrals from Williamstown residents who use the non-profit's facilities.
Board Chair Andrew Hogeland said that he is confident that Adams' and North Adams' contributions should be able to make up the remainder of the $25,000 shortfall if Williamstown contributes up to $10,000.
The board Monday did not vote a specific allocation from its ARPA funds but instead authorized Town Manager Charlie Blanchard to follow up with Louison House to see what funds are required and provide town support from the federal aid.
On Monday, Blanchard laid out for the board a number of areas where the town already has spent ARPA funds and proposals for how to spend the rest of the more than $2.2 million it is eligible to receive from the federal program.
That money can be allocated by the town through Dec. 31, 2024, and actually spent through Dec. 31, 2026, according to guidance from the commonwealth, Blanchard reported.
To date, the town has committed more than $191,000 of the $2.2 million on items ranging from a $5,000 grant to the Chamber of Commerce to boost summer tourism to $70,000 to pay out vacation time to employees unable to use that time due to the pandemic.
Other items recommended by Town Hall staff include $580,000 toward a sewer replacement on South Street, $500,000 to replace lost revenue in the current fiscal year due to the pandemic, $60,000 to replace the antiquated water system in the White Oaks neighborhood and $30,000 for design work to address erosion issues on the Hoosic River near North Street that threaten the town's sewer main.
If the town adopts all those measures, combined with the money already spent, that would leave about $669,000 for other projects, according to the figures Blanchard showed the Select Board on Monday.
The board also saw a list of suggested expenditures received from the public to date that had not all been fully vetted to see what ideas would be eligible for ARPA funding. The Louison House donation was one item on that list.
Select Board member Jane Patton made it clear that is the kind of thing the town should be funding.
"Everyone can call me a bleeding heart liberal, and I will wear that label with pride, but I think that to whom much is given, much is expected," Patton said.
The Select Board on Monday took one other step to address the needs of economically disadvantaged residents when it appointed the current trustees of the town's Affordable Housing Trust as members of the town's currently defunct Affordable Housing Committee.
Hogeland, who fills the Select Board's seat on the AHT, explained that the Affordable Housing Committee ceased to operate several years ago when it was apparent that the trust had more clout due to its ability to retain funds and hold property for the purpose of addressing the town's subsidized housing needs.
The issue is that the Affordable Housing Committee still has $59,000 in its coffers from previous allocations by town meeting, and the trust is hoping to access those funds, Hogeland said.
The Select Board voted unanimously to appoint Hogeland and his six AHT colleagues as members of the Affordable Housing Committee for a term of six months, at which time, Hogeland said, it would be appropriate to either let the AHC dissolve or lapse for lack of membership.
The Select Board was scheduled to hear a proposal from a group of residents interested in utilizing town property to help meet the needs of "individuals and families experiencing hardship.
The volunteers have approached the town about establishing a center in the former police station space at town hall to distribute "personal care, hygiene items and basic home goods free of charge," according to a memo distributed to the Select Board.
Hogeland informed the board that the potential applicants asked to be taken off the agenda so they can work on their proposal. But at Blanchard's request, the board authorized him to continue conversations with the group.
Tags: affordable housing, ARPA, homeless, louison house,
