FEMA Awards Almost $3.5M to Mass for COVID Vaccination Costs

08:00AM / Saturday, December 02, 2023Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending nearly $3.5 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of providing vaccinations to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $3,494,771 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the cost of contracting to operate a statewide network of mobile vaccination sites between June and December 2022.

The contractor operated at 285 locations around the state and provided 73,455 vaccinations to individuals who met certain eligibility criteria. Services provided included screening patients, administering the vaccine, vaccine storage compliance, documenting procedures, and personal protective equipment protocol compliance.

"FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Massachusetts with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation's ongoing recovery.”

FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.

So far, FEMA has provided more than $2.6 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.

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Habitat for Humanity Selling Pittsfield Condos for $1,700/Month

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:21PM / Monday, February 09, 2026

The homes are being offered as condominiums with a homeowners association fee.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity is selling two homes to income-eligible families who can afford about $1,700 per month.

On Friday, an open house was held for the newly built condominiums at 21 and 23 Murphy Place, and another will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 10 to noon. The each of the homes offers three bedrooms and one bathroom over 1,200 square feet.

Homebuyers services representative Chris LaPatin reported that there have been "quite a few" applications that are being reviewed.

The condos will be sold to families earning between 50 percent and 65 percent of the area median income, which ranges between $49,150 and $63,895 for a family of two and $66,350 and $86,255 for a family of five. A monthly payment of $1,673 will cover the principal and interest, property taxes, and home insurance. There's a monthly HOA fee on top of that.

Murphy Place is a dead-end street off Upper North Street, and the homes have yard space, parking, laundry, and a crawl space for storage. The washer and dryer are Whirlpool Energy Star, and the homes have energy-saving mini-split heat pumps for cooling and heating.

LaPatin pointed out that one way Habitat connects people to homeownership is through partnership hours. This program provides $2,000 toward a home purchase and an affordable mortgage from a third-party lender for completing financial and homeownership training and build site hours.

For one person, 275 hours are required, and 425 for a couple. Friends and family can help with partnership hours, according to Habitat's website.

Current income eligibility for families earning between 50 percent and 65 percent of the AMI:

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