BRPC Hosting Aging in Place Workshop

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is proud to announce the award of a 2026 AARP Community Challenge Grant. 
 
The grant will fund an Aging in Place Workshop and individual technical assistance to older adults. The Aging in Place Workshop will be held on Aug. 19, 2026, from 10:30-11:30 AM at The Common Room (Zion Lutheran Church) at 74 First Street in Pittsfield.
 
The Aging in Place Workshop will provide examples and lessons on how to modify your home to successfully age in place, which allows older adults to live in the homes and communities of their choice. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to register for a one-on-one technical assistance appointment with an experienced housing specialist to determine what modifications could be made to your home to successfully age in place. Participants will then be connected with the Home Modification Loan Program (HMLP), which helps fund those required modifications. 
 
HMLP is a state-funded 0 percent interest deferred payment loan for home modifications for the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and families of children with disabilities. Possible modifications include but are not limited to bathroom and kitchen modifications, ramps, stair lifts, platform lifts, sensory/therapy spaces, hard-wired alarm systems, fences, accessory dwelling units, and more. This is not a home repair program; repairs to roofs, windows, and heating systems are not eligible.
 
All are welcome to join BRPC on Aug. 19 at 10:30 AM at The Common Room (Zion Lutheran Church) in Pittsfield for the Aging in Place Workshop. If you are unable to attend in person but would like to attend on Zoom, please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OxWXX1tXRd2Ct0GEMVGUeg
 
Please contact Michaela Grady at HMLP@berkshireplanning.org or 413-442-1521 ext. 55 if you have any questions.

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'Together for Our Warriors' Seeks to Bridge Gaps in Veteran Services

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — For many veterans, finding resources can be a struggle because of fragmentation among veteran services. 

 

New nonprofit Together for Our Warriors Inc. is trying to streamline that search by creating a central source for information about the services available to them.

 

Veterans can find themselves struggling to navigate available services resulting in some deferring help or falling through the cracks of the system that provides a broad range of services that are stretched thin, said Director Kyle Kuffel. 

 

Veteran resources are available throughout the region, but information about those services is often fragmented among government agencies, nonprofits and other organizations that do not always communicate with one another, said Bernard Tremblay, the nonprofit's board and operations president.

 

The nonprofit was incorporated in March, and its 501(c)(3) status was officially approved on May 12, Kuffel said. 

 

They eventually hope to produce a printed resource guide that can be distributed at veteran events and resource fairs, Tremblay said. 

 

As the organization continues to expand, Kuffel said he hopes it can eventually hire its own Veteran Services Officer accredited by the state and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 

 

The position would help veterans navigate and file claims while easing pressure on an already overburdened system, he said. 

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