GREENFIELD — Two people pushed for immediate solutions. One a familiar face. One not so familiar. Both trying to do something before a pending snowstorm and chilling temperatures return to the Pioneer Valley.
Today, about 50 backpacks for homeless men, women and children will be available to be handed out all over Greenfield — to anyone in need. Some expert counts say there may be 50 people living in the woods in town at the moment, while many more living between couches and cars. Those backpacks will be brought by Hampden County Deputy Sheriff Bob Charland, who has been doing the same for the past couple years in the Springfield area.
When Charland was diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer, he decided to do everything he could to help those in need. He heard about the situation last week in Greenfield that left two people dead in a tent in the woods behind the McDonald’s on the Mohawk Trail, on a day with temperatures in single digits. Charland connected with Greenfield Police Lt. William Gordon and Officer Laura Gordon, who put him in touch with Chief Robert Haigh, leading to this outreach program that will at least patch things up to some extent in the coming days.
Later, during a public forum held at Greenfield High School Monday night, orchestrated by City Council President Karen “Rudy” Renaud, that drew about 75 people, Greenfield’s Bobby Campbell called for another immediate solution.
“We can all sit here amongst people and talk and talk all night long,” Campbell said. “If we don’t take action right now, then these folks won’t have a place for the next 72 hours.”
Soon enough, a hat was put on the table in front of him, and as people continued to address the homeless situation in Greenfield with various solutions, the people in attendance kept walking up to “Bobby C.” There were checks and change and a whole lot of dollar bills.
Within an hour or so, $655.25 was raised. The money will go to the Salvation Army in Greenfield, to the attention of Capt. Scott Peabody. Campbell said he hopes the money can help put people up in hotels to at least be safe through this pending storm that could drop another half foot of snow and drop true temperatures into negative digits.
The night came one week to the day the couple, Clayton “Aaron” Wheeler and Kathleen Grady, were found dead in a tent by one of Wheeler’s sons. The official cause of death is still under investigation, although most signs point to it being related in some fashion to the weather conditions.
In the week since, the community has grappled with how to address immediate concerns for the homeless, whether those concerns are merited in the first place, and how to most effectively jump both social and political hurdles to achieve the most effective results.
Renaud was able to bring to the table state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, who’s still in her first month as a legislator on Beacon Hill, and Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru.
“If it’s found that there are regulations or items in state law that are a barrier to what this town, this city wants to do, then that’s where we as legislators can work,” Mark said to the full-house at the high school. “So often, what we deal with is the rules are built for Boston and in small towns like Greenfield and Peru they aren’t realistic.”
Mark and Comerford committed their support for the will of the people in Greenfield advocating for change, although acknowledging there’s only so much they can do.
Main questions for both the state legislators and for city officials, including Mayor William Martin’s Chief of Staff Mark Smith who was in attendance, were: Can the city enact policy for a ‘Code Blue;’ can the city open up warming centers; and can the city or state get more money for shelter beds for ServiceNet?
Smith said he will look into what the Mayor’s Office can do to help create a Code Blue situation, which is used in cities like New York — and to an extent in Boston — where certain typical zoning codes are lifted for an emergency purpose; code blue policies typically require additional funding to be effective.
There were debates about whether a church or a school, Greenfield City Hall or the armory building, can be used as a place for emergency shelter. Each place was explained to have its own issues, oftentimes, with either zoning or getting enough trained staffing to support it in a safe environment.
“There’s complexities around that really need to be navigated through,” Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Undersecretary and Greenfield resident Jane Banks said regarding various emergency housing plans. She recommended a committee or small group form to navigate those issues; Greenfield resident and applicant for the vacant Precinct 2 Councilor seat Rachel Gordon will be one of the people working on zoning and policy issues.
Some residents wondered why churches or places of worship can’t have all-night prayer or study sessions, which could be a warming center of sorts, but may also act as an unofficial shelter. Some of the conversation critiqued the semantics of language around the whole situation, while the importance should be on finding solutions.
What legislators and city officials expressed after the meeting was a clear sense that there is a will from community members to mobilize around this issue, and they just have to find the ways they can do it best.
Community partners and influencers seemed to all be at the cafeteria tables at Greenfield High School Monday night, although one person did note that some members of the community, like registered sex offenders, couldn’t enter the school and be a part of the conversation, even if they wanted.
There was Community Action Executive Director Clare Higgins, former mayor of Northampton, who said it takes a village to address an issue like this. There was Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan, who explained the zoning and safety issues, but also emphasized that first responders open arms for anyone in the community to find refuge in them. There were representatives from the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, who are gearing up to work on this issue, as well. And, there were ServiceNet representatives, who tried to answer the questions around sheltering and training.
And, like Renaud said at the start of the meeting, “We need to figure out how we solve this problem.”
They all walked away with having taken some steps forward — between the deputy sheriff out of Springfield and Bobby C’s collections.
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264