2nd Street

Hear the compelling, powerful stories of formerly incarcerated men, as told by a troupe of professional actors. FREE to all!

Today!

Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market is back! Starting next week, the market will be at 2nd Street every Wednesday from 3-5 pm. All are welcome, and with the FairShare payment system, shoppers can select a payment tier based on their budget and needs. ¡Se habla español!

All your housing questions, answered! No appointment necessary.

Drop in to Rural Recovery for 2nd Street office hours every Monday morning. We'll help connect you with the resources you need.

Formerly incarcerated and have legal questions? We've got you covered. Join representatives from Community Legal Aid at 264 Second Street every Thursday from 1-3.

We invite presently or formerly incarcerated individuals to submit poetry, short fiction or personal essays for publication in the inaugural issue of Using Our Outside Voices. ALL submissions are encouraged, no matter your writing skills or experience. Deadline to submit is June 15. For more info, visit https://2nd-street.org/using-our-outside-voices/

Calling formerly incarcerated men: Join us for our informal aftercare sessions every Thursday at 3 pm at 2nd Street.

Yesterday's beautiful weather was just the thing our Women's Aftercare Group needed. We took full advantage and had a tasty cookout!

Our informal support group for formerly incarcerated women meets Tuesdays at 4 pm. Drop in at 264 Second Street, Pittsfield.

Computer skills are life skills. Brush up with us Fridays at 10 am. All skill levels welcome, including beginners.

Call to make an appointment at our North Adams office for aftercare and post-incarceration services — or stop by and talk to staff. We're here to help!

Today's reminder: Katie Hyde of Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority has office hours at 2nd Street every Wednesday. Stop by with all your housing questions!

Attention currently or formerly incarcerated residents of Berkshire County: YOU could be a published author and win $200! Visit https://2nd-street.org/using-our-outside-voices/ for more info. Deadline for submissions is June 15.

The City of Pittsfield’s Homeless Advisory Committee is sponsoring their third Housing Resource Fair. The fair will take place at Zion Lutheran Church at 74 First Street, on Thursday, May 9 between 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The fair will offer a variety of resources and assistance to those in the community who are seeking help with accessing stable and secure housing.

The event is free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from local housing organizations and agencies, learn about affordable housing options, and receive information on resources for rental assistance. Participating agencies include Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority, Berkshire Housing, the Chistian Center, Elder Services, Pittsfield Housing Authority, Second Street Second Chances and ServiceNet.

Kim Borden, Chairperson of the city’s Homeless Advisory Committee, says that the Committee is committed to holding these events regularly, based on the success of the previous Housing Resource Fairs. “The purpose of the fair is to bring together community organizations and the residents they serve to create meaningful community connections and provide support for those in need.”

For more information about the event, please contact Justine Dodds at (413) 499-9368 or by email to [email protected].
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El Comité Asesor de Personas sin Hogar de la Ciudad de Pittsfield esta patrocinando su tercera Feria de Recursos de Vivienda. La feria se llevará a cabo en la Iglesia Luterano Zion ubicado en 74 First Street. El jueves, 9 de Mayo entre las 9:30 a.m. y las 11:30 a.m.: la feria ofrecerá una variedad de recursos y asistencia a aquellos en la comunidad que buscan ayuda para acceder a una vivienda estable y segura.

El evento es gratuito y abierto al público. Los asistentes tendrán la oportunidad de reunirse con representantes de organizaciones y agencias locales de vivienda, aprender sobre opciones de vivienda asequible y recibir información sobre recursos para asistencia de alquiler. Las agencias participantes incluyen: Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority, Berkshire Housing, Chistian Center, Elder Services, Pittsfield Housing Authority, Second Street Second Chances and ServiceNet.

Kim Borden, presidenta del Comité Asesor de Personas sin Hogar de la ciudad, dice que el Comité está comprometido a realizar estos eventos regularmente basándose en el éxito de la Ferias de Recurso de Vivienda anteriores. Ella afirma, “El propósito de la feria es reunir a las organizaciones comunitarias y a los residentes a los que sirven para crear conexiones comunitarias significativas y brindar apoyo a los necesitados.”

Para obtener más información sobre el evento, puede ponerse en contacto con Justine Dodds (413) 499-9368 o por correo electrónico a [email protected].

Our weekly Women's Aftercare Group provides a safe, judgement-free place for formerly incarcerated women to socialize, network and share stories with their peers. Join us!

Please share!!
264 Second Street
Pittsfield, Ma 01201
Call 413-443-7220 x1275 for questions!

2nd Street is grateful to have been part of this wonderful event!

Yesterday was our friend King Ray’s birthday! Since retiring from BCSO, he works the door at 2nd Street greeting clients and helping out staff. Today we celebrated with a cake. Glad to have him back happy and healthy to celebrate this year. Happy birthday Fuzzy! Raymond E. Turner

Love,
your friends at 2nd Street

Sorry, 2nd Street is closed today due to inclement weather! There is no men’s aftercare group at 3pm. Stay warm and safe everyone, we’ll see you tomorrow!

Today at Berkshire Community College, 2nd Street’s Executive Director Lindsay Maynard was invited to judge and taste food prepared by Aaron Oster’s Culinary Program. Students in the program created two different dishes in two separate groups. The presentation was immaculate and beautiful, the food was delicious and thoughtful, and it was very evident that a lot of passion and time went into creating these dishes. We are honored to partner with Berkshire Community College on many programs such as this and are excited to see what more there is to come! Great work to all of the students; we can’t wait to see the places you will go! Thank you, Aaron and the culinary students, for inviting us and for your hospitality!

Check out the description for Using Our Outside Voice. https://2nd-street.org/using-our-outside-voices/ There will also be a creative writing workshop to help anyone with their writing. If you enjoy writing poetry, short fiction, personal essays or any other literary form, you should check out Using Our Outside Voices and take the chance to receive a cash reward if your work is chosen to be published in a journal.

Using Our Outside Voices | 2nd Street Second Chances Using Our Outside Voices What’s it about? Using Our Outside Voices is a partnership between Second Street Second Chances, Inc. (2nd Street) and Berkshire Community College that will result in the publication of a collection of poetry, short fiction, and other literary work by presently or formerly...

Today at 1:00 !

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to City Hall - City of Pittsfield for their unwavering support, which has been instrumental in making this program a reality. It is a privilege to pursue our passion within our vibrant community, we deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve our amazing participants.

Too many individuals released from jail, unfortunately, end up back in a correctional facility. Without assistance, difficulties in obtaining employment, finding housing, and meeting other basic needs lead people to revert to their pre-incarceration lifestyle to meet their day-to-day needs.

2nd Street Second Chances is a non-profit program that steps in to help change this direction and is making a tremendous impact for many in our community.

Learn more about their work in the next ARPA Community Profile Series here: https://www.cityofpittsfield.org/government/second_street_second_chances.php

Stop by 2nd Street tomorrow if you are curious on how to seal your criminal record!

Community Legal Aid has new office hours at 2nd Street! Every Thursday from 1-3 starting on 2/16! Have legal questions or need guidance? Come on over! 👏🏼

Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority