standing , and support in the wider LGBTQIA + community and society as a whole .”
Lemons :
LOCAL HOUSING CRISIS AND THE QUEER COMMUNITY : In a series of Berkshire Queer Creative Housing Solution Forums hosted by Q-MoB , Berkshire Regional Planning Commission ( BRPC ) senior housing planners have confirmed that Berkshire County has seen rapid increases in rent , home prices , and a dramatic fall in inventory of both rental units and homes and condos for sale . With a highly competitive housing market , many LGBTQIA + people are losing out because their family structures or single status put them at a disadvantage . This has been especially challenging for younger queer adults and students , as well as for seniors on fixed incomes . The growth in second homes and seasonal / shortterm rentals are also significantly reducing the number of rental properties and driving up rents .
Lemonade :
CREATING QUEER-FRIENDLY INTERGEN- ERATIONAL HOUSING : Q-MoB , in collaboration with a grant from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and significant advice and help from Pittsfield Mayor Peter Marchetti , Stockbridge Select Board Member Patrick White , and BRPC Senior Housing Planner Brett Roberts , has been hosting a monthly series of Berkshire Queer Creative Housing Solutions Forums ( next ones are April 28 and May 26 .) to inspire LGBTQIA + people to create new queer-friendly housing resources and intergenerational housing projects .
Fitch , an openly gay city council member in North Adams , says one of his key priorities is facilitating collaboration to create more affordable housing . He is seeing an influx of newcomers who are bringing new ideas , and he is heartened to see longtime residents of North Adams generally welcoming newcomers and celebrating more diversity in the community . Marchetti has said that for Pittsfield to attract new employers , the city must focus on helping developers to provide more affordable housing . The city is actively studying buildings that would be good candidates for affordable housing , and he is open to studying the conversion of a school in Hyde Park that became a 74 – unit queer-friendly affordable senior housing building .
White is actively researching Biden Justice 40 Funding and EPA Community Change Grants that could bring millions into Berkshire County
for affordable housing , along with the governor ’ s new ADU by right law that will allow homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling Units . That would provide more affordable housing that could be built relatively quickly and facilitate home sharing between queer elders who need help to stay in their homes to provide spaces for younger queer people who then could provide the help they need in exchange for affordable rent .
Lemons :
LEGISLATION : The ACLU is tracking 479 anti-LGBTQIA + bills across the country . According to The Leadership Conference Education Fund , hate crimes against LGTBQ + people increased by 54 percent from 2020 to 2021 and continue their upward trend . In the Berkshires , we have seen an influx in queer individuals relocating here for a welcoming environment .
Lemonade :
FOSTERING SOLIDARITY : Berkshire Pride , Railroad Street Youth Project , the Bard Queer Leadership Project , and various libraries and schools in the region are committed to creating safe spaces for LGBTQIA + students and young
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