Western Mass Housing Conference
The seven-week virtual series is a reimagined version of a conference MHP postponed in the spring of 2020 due to COVID-19.
Geared towards officials, volunteers and employees in small and rural towns in Western Mass, the conference session engages participants in discussion and problem solving around the development of affordable housing in the region.
Below is a list of sessions that took place between September - November 2020:
Week 1 -- Zoning for Housing Diversity in Small Towns
Presenters: Alyssa LaRose, Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG); Walter Ramsey, AICP, Town of Montague; Andrew Groff, Town of Williamstown.
Week 2 -- Playbook for Building Community Support
Presenters: Whitney Demetrius, Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) and Courtney Porcella, coUrbanize
Week 3 -- Pathways to Homeownership
Presenters: Isabel Cruz, MHP and Brendan Bailey, Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley
Week 4 -- Supportive Housing for the Chronically Homeless
Presenter: Andrew Winter, Twin Pines Housing
Week 5 -- Bringing Affordable Senior Housing to Small and Rural Communities
Presenters: Laura Baker, Valley Community Development; Lorin Starr, 120 North Main Street Committee in Sunderland; Paul Lischetti, Hilltown CDC
Week 6 -- Distressed and Abandoned Properties
Presenters: Don Bianchi, MACDC; Maja Kazmierczak, Massachusetts Attorney General's Office; Michael Moriarty, OneHolyoke CDC
Week 7 -- Using CDBG for Housing Rehab
Presenters: Patricia Mullins, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC); Doug Desmarais, Hilltown CDC; Brian McHugh, Franklin Country Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority; Christopher Dunphy, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)