Pittsfield CDBG Applications Exceeding Funding

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:48AM / Friday, January 30, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has 24 applicants for human services funding, and last year's awardees stretched their dollars as far as they could.

The Human Services Advisory Council recently outlined its process for allocating Community Development Block Grants, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Last year, 23 city programs received a total of $206,250 from Pittsfield's general fund and the CDBG Program.

Nate Joyner, Pittsfield's community development and housing program manager, reported that beneficiaries nearly doubled their impact with the last cycle of awards.

"In last year's program, under the CDBG program, there were 556 proposed beneficiaries across all the different programs," he said during the virtual meeting.

"That was what they expected to serve with the funding we allocated, and the actual beneficiaries were 993, so we see these agencies kind of stretching the dollars, serving a lot of folks, and it kind of shows there's high demand for the services being offered."

The requests for this round amount to $462,533. The funding for the grants has not yet been approved, but the city anticipates a total available budget again of $206,250 between local funding and our federal CDBG block grant funding.

A public comment period for community members to communicate support for agencies or applications, or for broader needs within the city. Comments can be sent to the Pittsfield Community Development Office or to njoyner@cityofpittsfield.org.

The federal CDBG program supports community development activities that build strength and resilience. The Human Services Advisory Council, after presentations from applicants, provides the mayor with recommendations on how Pittsfield should allocate its human services dollars.

The first of five of Thursday nights of presentations will begin Jan. 29 and end March 5, with the exception of Feb. 19, and the commission will vote on a final number at the end of March.

Executive orders from the Trump administration have restricted language in the CDBG process, specifically around affirmative action policies and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The city had to rewrite its contract agreements to ensure they aren't afoul of the executive orders, and applicants are advised of the executive orders.

Joyner reported that there are promising indications in Washington that the HUD budget will be approved without much disruption, and said the city should be on track to issue grants in May or June.

It was announced that the panel, typically 11 members, is seeking two additional members after some resignations.

Tags: CDBG,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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