Page 12 - BusinessWest December 8, 2021

Editorial
SA Welcome Byproduct of COVID
uffice it to say that COVID-19 and its many side effects Latino marketing agency, a business offering personalized hikes in have brought a number of challenges and headaches to the Berkshires, and countless others.
our region, especially its business community. That list These ventures have brought new life to tired real estate in some
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has included shutdowns, endless restrictions on what business can be conducted and when, a workforce crisis, supply-chain issues, inflation, uncertainty, unease ... the list goes on.
There are a few positives in there, obviously, including innova- tion born of necessity, newfound resilience, and profound changes in how work is conducted — and where.
And there’s something else. As the story on page 6 reveals, and others stories have hinted at over the course of the past 18 months or so, COVID has inspired a slew of new stories of entrepreneur- ship in the Valley, which is intriguing and refreshing, on a number of levels.
As Samalid Hogan, the soon to be former executive director of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center’s regional office, told us, the pandemic was a time when many people did some pausing and reflecting — in part because they had the time to do so.
And while doing that, they figured out that what they were doing wasn’t what they really wanted to be doing. What they wanted to do was own their own business. In many cases, this was a long-held dream accelerated by COVID. For others, it was something that came about by circumstance.
In any case, when they came to a crossroads, they took the one whereby they put their name on the door.
Over the course of the past 18 months or so, individuals, hus- band-and-wife teams, and other types of partnerships have created new beer labels, a wine-distribution venture, new retail outlets, a
Opinion
Let’s Address Youth Homelessness
MBy Olivia Bernstein
ore than 4 million youth and
young adults experience home-
lessness annually in this coun- try. It is estimated that at least 700,000 are not part of a family or accompanied by a parent or guardian. Risk factors include family conflict, a youth’s sexual orientation or gender identity, substance use, and school problems.
MHA is among the organizations that recently launched initiatives to address this issue in Massachusetts, where it is said that, on any given day, nearly 500 unac- companied young people, ages 18 to 24, experience homelessness.
Federal grant money received through our work with the Continuums of Care in Hampden County and the Three County Continuum of Care administered by Com- munity Action of Pioneer Valley (CAPV), which serves Hampshire, Berkshire, and Franklin counties, is funding two MHA projects over a 24-month period that sup- port the needs of homeless youth.
One provides permanent supportive housing for eight beds annually in Spring- field, as well as eight in Greenfield, and includes subsidies so participants pay only one-third of their income for rent.
The other, referred to as a Housing Navi-
gation and Rapid Re-housing program, helps youth and young adults navigate services to obtain housing. The program covers rental and related expenses for up to two years for six beds annually.
These projects represent a more com- prehensive approach to youth homeless- ness that provides ongoing rental and indi- vidualized case-management support.
In its pioneering report, “More Than Housing, Give Us Homes,” CAPV called youth homelessness a “crisis in our region,” and through $1.96 million in federal funds, it and its partners received a jump start toward ending the crisis. Guiding prin- ciples include prioritizing “evidence-based, low-barrier practices, such as housing first, trauma-informed care, and positive youth development.”
As one of CAPV’s partners, MHA couldn’t agree more. This is a population just starting out in life and in need of sup- port, including subsidized housing that is in short supply in the area; services tailored to individualized needs, which may include access to behavioral-health resources; learning life skills such as budgeting; and pursuing employment or educational opportunities.
These youth and young adults, 18 to
24, have experienced more than anyone should have to in their young lives. Some of them have been out on the street or in shelters or exited foster care at 18 with no place to go. Some of them are in unsafe situations and at risk of harm. They may be living with a family member or couch surfing in an unsafe place, and many we serve identify as LGBTQ+. They may not feel accepted by their family or have family relationships that they don’t feel are safe.
MHA is seeing early success in its work with youth involved in both projects. It
is, for some, their first time involved with social services, but all are eager to move into the next stage of their lives, which includes more independence and access to housing. Some are continuing a college education, others are seeking employ- ment in their chosen field, and some are in recovery programs.
These young people have shown they are resilient and, like all of us, deserving of a place to call home. We see homelessness all over this country, but it is a huge sys- temic injustice that anyone should have to live out on the street. v
Olivia Bernstein is clinical director of Homeless Services at MHA.
cases, and some new excitement in communities up and down the Valley, at a time when it was sorely needed.
These entrepreneurs have discovered what countless others learned long ago, and what they probably already knew themselves — that owning your own business, while usually a dream worth pursuing, isn’t easy.
It’s been described by those who have lived that life as a roller- coaster ride, with ups and downs, and usually more of the latter than the former. There are sleepless nights, and some time spent wondering if it was a good idea to leave a steady paycheck for the great unknown.
But for many who take this route, there is the ultimate conclu- sion that, yes, it was a good idea. It was worth it to take those risks. It was a life-changing decision.
Many people are now experiencing these emotions, and COVID had something to do with it. They may have lost the job they had. They may have decided the job they had simply wasn’t something they wanted to do anymore. They may have found the time and energy they never had to finally turn a dream into reality.
Whatever the reason, it has happened, and it’s still happening, as those monthly totals of people becoming part of the Great Resig- nation make clear.
There haven’t been many good things to come from the pan-
demic and its many, many side effects, but this is clearly one of
them.v •••••
Kathleen Plante [email protected]
12 DECEMBER 8, 2021
OPINION
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