Letter: Homeless Families at MCLA a Misguided Effort

To the Editor:

It has been 24 years since Mass MoCA opened and I'm still waiting for the seismic shift in our economy and downtown that MoCA's developers promised. Main and Eagle Streets are still largely empty and depressing. While MoCA has certainly helped in many ways, its presence has failed to impact our downtown. Why?

Because North Adams does not suffer from a quick-fix acute illness. But rather, it has a very real chronic disease, poverty. The cure for this disease is societal, far beyond the ability and efforts of any single poor city or single state economic development project, like MoCA.

One thing is certain, purposefully concentrating more poor people in already poor places appears to be the rule. Not to solve the problem, but to hide it from the more affluent places, while also giving them opportunity to feel benevolent about having found a humane solution to homelessness. It's no surprise that Salem (home of Salem State University) and Buzzards Bay (home of the Maritime Academy), both with median incomes of about $37,000, are already hosting homeless families at their college facilities.

President Birge's misguided effort to house 50 homeless families lacks any foresight of its larger impact on North Adams and any positive vision for a brighter future for North Adams. Could the bar be set any lower? Is that really the best use of those buildings to serve the college and our community? Does he really believe this would be temporary housing? In 18 months is he going to evict them and make them homeless again?

I am not heartless. I certainly have empathy for those 50 homeless families and I hope they find shelter ASAP. But, not here. I just don't accept that this is the only or best solution to the problem of homelessness.

$2.7 million to house 50 families = $54,000 per family = $148 per night. My guess is that there are some struggling hotels and motels in the state, possibly even in Williamstown, that would love an 18-month contract for full occupancy with guaranteed payment. And, the state would save the money on the service contract!

Let's not forget that Alternative Living Centers, a housing program for recovering addicts, is located on Montana Street. Again, something critically needed. Yet, again, located in North Adams. Not to mention that the MCLA campus will be bound on two sides; homeless housing for 50 families on Church Street and a drug recovery housing project on Montana Street. That's not a great marketing plan for MCLA to attract more students. In fact, I suspect it will kill enrollment and the college.

This city has hosted a disproportionate number of poor people for 50 years. Let some other city/town, say one with a median income of $120,000.00, share and assume some of the burdens that poverty places on this city and hold it back from a more promising future.

Our downtown will never thrive until we have at least a modest demographic shift to include more people with disposable incomes, who live here year-round, to shop in stores and eat in restaurants.

This idea of importing more poor people is an awful and destructive idea for both MCLA and North Adams.

Peter May
North Adams, Mass.

Companion Corner: Ellie at No Paws Left Behind