On Friday, October 18, I was honored to provide the key-note talk for Franklin County Resources Network’s 15th Annual Legislative Breakfast. The event’s theme, Steps to Stability: Finding Hope and Home in Franklin County, provided a great opportunity for the Network to bring its work to the broader Franklin County community, particularly around state legislative initiatives that would make a significant impact in Franklin County and beyond.
It was a great morning, joined by Senator Jo Comerford and staff from the offices of Senator Adam Hinds, Representative Paul Mark and Representative Natalie Blais, as well as a powerful panel of Franklin County residents sharing their lived experience and the positive impact made by critically important support and services.
My presentation on State Policy as a Force for Ending Homelessness: How Communities Can Organize for Change was accompanied by concrete Action Steps organizations can take right now. You can learn more about two key legislative priorities here: Right to Counsel for Tenants and Eviction Sealing (HOMES). Please take a look and join us!
Also check out the Greenfield Recorder’s front page, top-of-the-fold coverage. Congratulations and big thanks to the Franklin County Resources Network for making this event happen. Special thanks to Keleigh Pereira, Three County CoC Program Director and Community Action Executive Director Clare Higgins for their Network partnership, along with so many other vital partners across Franklin County. Together, we are making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring!
–Pamela Schwartz, Director, Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness
