Families Displaced by Lincoln Street Fire Struggle to Find New HousingBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:36AM / Monday, May 30, 2022 | |
 Residents of the Lincoln Street fire are still struggling to find housing. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Families are still without permanent housing after a fire destroyed a multi-family home on Lincoln Street over a month ago.
The issue is reportedly a lack of available units in the city, especially multi-bedroom ones for larger families.
The Christian Center has been assisting about eight families by housing them in hotels. Executive Director Betsy Sherman said a majority of the families who sought help from her organization after the fire have children.
"I think the biggest issue for them is that they need they need apartments, they need housing," she said.
It was reported that around a dozen families were displaced. The Red Cross distributed hotel vouchers for a couple of nights immediately after.
Flames tore through the 12-unit home on Lincoln Street on the evening of April 22 and spread to a neighboring apartment building on Cherry Street. The main building is completely gutted with significant smoke, water, and heat damage on one side and moderate damage to the other.
Earlier this month, the center took to Facebook to ask for help in its endeavor to find housing. Its support is coming from a fire fund that was established for such purposes and donations.
"The Christian Center is in need of help!!!" The post read. "For the last 3 weeks, we have been sheltering families in hotels from the Lincoln St. fire. We have been working with housing and the city to find them permanent housing, unfortunately, there is no housing at this time."
Sherman said monetary donations to the fire fund are helpful as well as tips for available housing units, which can be called into the Christian Center.
On top of being in contact with most of the families regularly, the organization has been working with the Berkshire Housing Authority and the Pittsfield Housing Authority to identify accommodations.
Gift cards for takeout or restaurants are also helpful in the situation, as it is hard to cook a meal for a family in close quarters.
Though the hotels are providing shelter at the moment, Sherman fears that the tourism season will make rooms unavailable.
"The biggest issue facing us right now is the fact that in another 2 1/2 weeks, three weeks, the summer season starts in the Berkshires, at which point the hotels were they are now saying will not have rooms, or at least not consistent rooms," Sherman said, adding that this is creating a push to find housing for everybody.
She also explained that the only family shelters with openings are out on the eastern side of the state and because kids are still in school and have experienced trauma from the fire -- and the pandemic -- it would be unfair to ask them to relocate.
The Christian Center will continue to provide the families with alternative housing through continued donations and the fire fund and will need additional donations to stay ahead of the costs.
Donations can be dropped off at the center at 193 Robbins Ave. or checks can be mailed. To provide information on available housing units call 413-443-2828.
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