Letter: Disappointing Responses to MCLA Homeless Proposal

02:00PM / Saturday, April 01, 2023Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

It’s been disappointing, but hardly surprising, to see the knee-jerk reactions to the proposed temporary use of a vacant MCLA dorm for transitional family housing. The stereotypes of homelessness have been alive and well among our local leaders and among the public. The conjured images of filthy drug addicts pushing shopping carts and begging for money have been splattered across social media and whispered over back fences. This is not what family homelessness looks like.

Families are some of the most difficult people to provide shelter for when they lose their housing. When you have families with kids, caregivers, multiple generations, etc.. the public’s stereotype of a homeless shelter simply does not work. The MCLA proposal is not this stereotype, yet that is what people are wrongly being led to believe by some who should know better.

Keeping a family group together is usually imperative and leads to much better outcomes. Kids will go to school. Grandma will get her pills. The family member with mental health issues will keep their home support group. Most revealing of all is that this group is statistically likely to leave transitional housing, and land on their feet, faster than almost any other. They want to work. They want to provide. But in that moment that they have lost their housing, they need a safety net, a roof over their head, and a warm meal. Berkshire Towers can provide that.

I am an MCLA parent. Are there concerns to be addressed? Of course. Extra support systems will need to be fortified and funded as part of the deal, but those are definitely doable. This is a temporary experiment that will be evaluated after 18 months. Hopefully, in a few years, MCLA will need the dorm back as enrollment increases.

But right now, our city, region and state are in an acute housing crisis that affects the vulnerable most of all. The Healey Administration is trying to do something effective with the resources we already have. We should let them try.

Greg Roach
North Adams, Mass.

Tags: homeless,

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NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
03:33PM / Friday, October 16, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.

The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.

"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."

Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.

Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.

The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.

Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.

Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.

The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.

The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.

"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."

Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.

"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."

He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.

"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."

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