PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority wants a new name to better clarify its range of services to the community.

On Wednesday at its Fenn Street offices, the organization's board approved the hiring of a firm to take the lead on its rebranding.

Executive Director Brad Gordon said the authority is highly regarded statewide and in the community but many times, there is confusion over who is administering the services it connects people with.

This, he explained, is a disservice to its mission of making certain that consumers are connected in a meaningful way and have access to a wide range of programming that the authority provides.

"We want to make certain that people connect the name of the organization with the great work that we're doing," Gordon said.

Established in 2001, BCRHA's mission is to develop opportunities that will assist Berkshire County households in securing the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to achieve self-sufficiency and household stability by:

• Developing and implementing a continuum of services and programs that address the underlying causes of household instability and homelessness.
• Assisting households to develop strategies to overcome barriers to self-sufficiency.
• Collaborating with other human service providers, including grassroots organizations and faith-based organizations, to alleviate the causes and effects of household, housing, and community instability.

It is described as a nontraditional housing authority.

Burns Maxey of the firm Burnsmax will direct the rebrand. Kayla Allen, director of the Dispute Resolution Center, said Maxey knows what the needs are and that they will remain true.

The change is expected to happen in early 2024 and will involve engagement from the board and organization leading up to it.

"I think what I liked most about her is that she had this simple approach to things it was kind of like a refresh not a change, again, to what we're already doing and the services we're providing," Allen said.

"And so I think a lot of you know people when you do a rebrand, they can get really flashy and over the top and that's not who we are as an agency. We really just want to make sure that people are able to access our services, they understand what we do, and that how we present ourselves is inclusive of everything that we do."

Operations Director Alyssa Capitanio said it will be nice to not have to give every person a "101" on the services offered.

"We're not changing down to the work that we're doing," she said, adding that they are just making the change to allow people to better connect with the organization and understand its work.

Tenancy Preservation Program/Related Services Director Kim Borden pointed out that BCHRA is confused with so many other agencies.

"We start every presentation with 'We are not a traditional housing authority,'" she said.

"And some folks are a little disappointed because they think, 'Oh, I can get a Section 8, you have subsidized housing that you can assist me with,' and that overshadows, I feel, all the good work that we do and all the programs that we have to offer."

She said one of the biggest sticking points is the name confusion since expanding to the Pioneer Valley.

For the name selection, Gordon wants board members and staff to keep an open mind to all options.  He admitted to coming up with "Just Solutions" as a possibility but due process will be done to determine the new name.

This will include a survey as part of a discovery phase, according to Maxey.

BCRHA Annual Report 2022-2023 by Brittany Polito

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