The First: A Place "tO Be"

Several years ago, the Homelessness Advisory Committee of the Pittsfield City Council recommended that Pittsfield adopt a facility similar to one called “The Living Room” established by the Behavioral Health Network in Springfield. The idea is to provide the amenities, supportive environment, and safe relationships that for most of us would be expected in our living rooms and in our homes, but are not readily available to people living at risk, often on the streets. The eventual outcome of that recommendation is an innovative program being developed in Pittsfield called The First. The First will be located in the basement of Zion Lutheran Church at 74 First Street in Pittsfield. It is expected to be completed and open by late 2025 or early 2026. 

The creation and development of The First has been guided by a cross-sector operations team that includes representatives from Hearthway Incorporated, ServiceNet, Cathedral of The Beloved, Zion Lutheran Church, and the City of Pittsfield. The result is  a collaborative initiative developed by Hearthway with operational leadership provided by ServiceNet. To quote from the Hearthway website: “Hearthway, (formerly Berkshire Housing Development Corporation) is a private non profit organization that . . . has focused on  creating affordable housing, among other housing services.” ServiceNet is a non-profit human services agency that provides essential services to people with a wide range of mental health and social service needs including homelessness. Cathedral of The Beloved staff have worked with both Hearthway and ServiceNet  in the planning and development of The First over the past two years or more. Cathedral staff will continue to be involved in the ongoing programming and development of The First after it is open and operating.

Dave Reinhart, President of the Council that oversees Cathedral of The Beloved said in an email: “The First is intended to be a community center where relationships and community can be built, and to provide a space and help for people who are unhoused or at risk of being unhoused. It is also a place for people of all social and economic backgrounds to come together and build relationships. The facility is designed to meet the basic needs of our neighbors: bathrooms, showers, laundry facilities, kitchen, lockers, places to sit and relax, meeting rooms, and phone charging stations. It will be staffed by two trained people from ServiceNet, open 7 days a week during daytime hours. Community members will help define offerings.”

The gift of working with Hearthway, ServiceNet and Zion on this project has been our ability to bring the very best of what we have learned over the years, The Rev. Jenny Gregg, pastor of Cathedral of the Beloved recently reflected.  She continued,  “My hope is that The First is safe place for people to land and self-determine what they need for the day. Maybe it is a nap or a shower.  Maybe it’s a conversation with a staff member or the desire to cook with others in the kitchen. The gift of simply "being" is a gift that goes beyond words when you are just trying to survive. My hope is that anyone who comes through the doors can learn to listen first: to themselves and their bodies, to their neighbors, to something beyond themselves. Together, co-creating a space where anyone who walks through those doors knows that this is a place where they can rest and be.  From there, decide what best next steps look like. This will look different, as it does for all of us, depending on the day.”

Along with opening of The First, an additional response to Pittsfield’s housing shortage occurs as Hearthway is completing construction of the Zion Church Apartments, consisting of 9 supportive housing units on the Zion Lutheran Church property on 1st Street and 28 other units on West Housatonic Street. These are funded in part by the state executive office of Housing and Livable Communities and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Article written by:  Charles Joslyn, beloved community member