12 mayors and town managers from across our four western counties joined together in a letter to the MA COVID-19 Command Center to urge immediate attention to our region’s urgent shelter needs. You can read here the correspondence that was sent by Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz and signed by: Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno, West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt, Chicopee Mayor John Vieau, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman, South Hadley Town Manager Michael Sullivan, Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer, North Adams Mayor Tom Bernard, and Great Barrington Town Manager Mark Pruhenski.
I know I speak for all of us at the Network when I express my deep appreciation to our local leaders for such quick collective action, with special thanks to Mayor Narkewicz for making it possible.
Of course this is just a first step. And one that deserves pause for what it promises around our collective regional strength. Thanks again to our city and town leaders for joining together to ensure our most vulnerable residents – and by extension our communities – get the protection they deserve.
We’ll keep you posted.
Pamela Schwartz, Director
Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness
