Pittsfield's Homeless Advisory Committee hosting Housing Resource Fair

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield's Homeless Advisory Committee is sponsoring a Housing Resource Fair. 
 
The fair will be held at Berkshire Dream Center, 475 Tyler Street on Thursday, Oct. 9, between 10:00 a.m. to noon. 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 ServiceNet, Upside 413 (formerly Berkshire County Regional Housing), Second Street Second Chances, Elder Services, The Christian Center, ADLIB, Hearthway (formerly Berkshire Housing), Solider On, Nonotuck and the Pittsfield Housing Authority.
 
"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," said Kim Borden, chairperson of the city's Homeless Advisory Committee. "We are building upon the success of previous housing resource fairs that are held on a quarterly basis at various locations throughout the city."
 
For more information about the event, please contact Justine Dodds at (413) 499-9368 or by email to jdodds@cityofpittsfield.org.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Companion Corner: Freya, Fudge & Charlotte

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — If looking for the perfect feline pet, why not triple the fun? There's a threesome at Berkshire Humane Society waiting for a family to call their own.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

We highlighted Freya, Charlotte and Fudge last month and they are still looking for their new home together. 

Kittens Fudge and Charlotte and their mother, Freya, have been at the shelter and in a foster home since April. All three have tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), often described as feline HIV/AIDS

Feline/small animal adoption counselor Alyssa Petell introduced us to them. 

"They originally were brought in from animal control. The conditions weren't the best in the home. But when they came in, they were tested positive for feline AIDS (FIV). We do send our kittens normally to foster programs to get socialized with the mom. So they got sent to a foster program for about two months to get socialized," she said.

The shelter preferably would like the three to as a family, and to a home with respectful children that will keep them inside.

"We would prefer if they could all go together, but they are a very sweet trio of kitties. They would have to be indoor only because of them being feline AIDS positive," Petell said. "It is OK for them to go into a home with other cats. We prefer if they go into a home with feline AIDS-positive cats, but even if they are negative for feline AIDS, as long as they're not actively scratching each other and biting each other to transmit it, then it should be OK."

Each cat has their own personality. The two kittens love to play with an abundance of toys; one is shy and the other is outgoing. They both like to curl up and sleep in your lap once they get to know you.

It turns out that Fudge is actually a girl. In our previous article, he was mistakenly identified as a boy. 

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