PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In celebration of its newly expanded, more welcoming client service center, Second Street Second Chances (2nd Street) will hold a ribbon cutting and open house on Monday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., at 264 Second Street, Pittsfield. 

 

The event is free and open to the public.

 

Housed in the former Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction, 2nd Street opened in 2022. At that time, 2nd Street occupied space on the second floor, consisting of an open area with workstations for community resource navigators and an administrative assistant, a few work terminals for clients, a small office for the executive director and a space for workshops and meetings.

 

Now, 2nd Street's space has expanded from 1,500 square feet to 4,600 square feet. The remodeled space encompasses the first floor, including the building's rotunda. The area accommodates two offices shared by two community navigators each, plus an office for private meetings with representatives of legal aid, housing services, mental health counseling and other individual sessions. The new office space also includes a large room with client workstations used for workshops and meetings, as well as attractive common areas. The second floor will continue to be used for administrative functions and additional meeting space. 

 

"As 2nd Street began to grow, we realized we needed to expand in order to serve our clients more effectively," said 2nd Street Executive Director Lindsay Cornwell. "The open space was challenging for client privacy and confidentiality. Now, we can hold private meetings, and we have much more room for our everyday operations. We are thrilled with the new space."

 

The newly designed common space includes an installation of "Insight Out," an exhibition of visual art created by presently or formerly incarcerated individuals in Berkshire County. Berkshire Museum, which displayed the exhibition last fall, reinstalled the artwork into the new space.

 

The event also serves as the launch of "Using Our Outside Voices," a literary journal featuring works by currently and formerly incarcerated individuals from Berkshire County, and will include a reading by one of the contributing authors. Copies will be available at no cost to attendees.  

 

The space occupied by 2nd Street, including the newly expanded portion, is provided by the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office free of charge, including utilities and maintenance.

 

"The Berkshire County Sheriff's Office is proud to support 2nd Street and its mission. The services they provide for formerly incarcerated individuals are critical to our mission of giving as much support as possible to those who are re-entering their communities," said Sheriff Tom Bowler. "We couldn't be more pleased with the expansion of the 2nd Street space and with the work 2nd Street is doing."