Pittsfield Health Board Advises Outreach Program
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Board of Health is advising against a public camping ordinance.
Instead, it recommends an alternative community response program that connects unhoused individuals with resources.
On Wednesday, the board approved its recommendations for addressing housing insecurity in the city, which will go to the City Council on Tuesday. The controversial camping ordinance was sent to the health officials in September 2025, and they have determined it is not the best approach for Pittsfield.
After months of consideration and a visit to the Northampton Division of Community Care, they recommend piloting an alternative community response program with two new homeless service coordinators who would begin work in the spring.
"We believe that a public health and a continued thoughtful community outreach plan will provide the best chance at addressing the challenge of homelessness in our community," the plan reads.
"This effort must be driven by metrics, and anchored by strong partnerships with existing public and municipal service agencies. This also means that there will still be enforcement actions required for illegal behaviors, but our overall emphasis will be social action and follow-up support."
It comes with seven recommendations: Take the camping ordinance off the table; develop an alternative community response program within the Health Department; create and maintain a community resource asset map; drive the program and processes with data through a HIPAA Compliant data system; staff training; a focus on homelessness related issues in public spaces in the downtown area; and to strengthen the relationship with Pittsfield Police Department co-responders without a dispatch-based system.
Director of Public Health Andy Cambi reported that he has a budget available for these items, partially through a vacant social worker position that has been on hold, and he envisions the service coordinators starting in May.
Tuesday's agenda item will be brought forward by Mayor Peter Marchetti, who Cambi said is supportive of this conversation's outcome.
"I think definitely the outcome of this was very good, in the sense that it brought a lot of the collaborative work that we did," the health director said, citing the visit to the Northampton DCC, interviews, and other hands-on work involved in the process.
Health officials found that homelessness is a complex issue rooted in housing instability, health, and economic factors, that street homelessness is the most visible symptom but not the underlying cause, and that enforcement-only approaches don't address long-term community impacts.
The DCC is a public health initiative that officials feel Pittsfield can take cues from. It is focused on "compassionate, holistic, person-centered interactions," such as non-clinical and non-enforcement support from health outreach workers.
The board specified that there will still be required enforcement on illegal behaviors, but the overall emphasis will be on social action and follow-up support. The plan's described "boots on the ground" approach would be complemented by existing services and providers without duplicating them.
Tags: camping, homeless,
