UpSide413

06/17/2026

📢WE'RE HIRING!📢

Are you looking for a rewarding career where you can make a difference in your community? Join our team!

We're growing! As our programs and services continue to expand across Berkshire County, we're adding talented professionals to our team in several departments. We're looking for compassionate, motivated individuals who are passionate about helping others and creating positive change. Apply today and become part of something bigger!

Resident Services Coordinator
https://www.indeed.com/job/resident-services-coordinator-3acbe6c6c6810f29

Family Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Navigator
https://www.indeed.com/job/family-homelessness-prevention-and-diversion-navigator-0a9751e97982b258

Housing & Consumer Counselor/Mediator
https://www.indeed.com/job/housing-consumer-counselormediator-e9ca76b58ca9f410

Tenancy Preservation Program Coordinator
https://www.indeed.com/job/tenancy-preservation-program-service-coordinator-0ccca2fafe19eaef

Housing Search Case Manager
https://www.indeed.com/job/housing-search-case-manager-2a87c8fcf3e14e76

Family/School Mediator - Part Time
https://www.indeed.com/job/familyschool-coordinator-mediator-part-time-b354eb81d6f8eab3

Community Mediation Coordinator
https://www.indeed.com/job/community-mediation-coordinator-a9bdc59604ccc130

06/12/2026

06/02/2026

Protecting our community starts with staying informed.

Rental scams are on the rise, so it's important to verify information, stay alert, and use trusted housing resources. Together, we can help make the housing search and process safer for everyone. Affordablehousing.com is a trusted website for finding housing listings and waitlist. 🏠💙

Find affordable apartments, condos, houses, townhouses, and section 8 housing at AffordableHousing.com.

05/15/2026

⚠️ BERKSHIRE COUNTY SCAM ALERT: Protecting Our Veterans This Memorial Day ⚠️

As our community prepares to honor the brave service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, the Berkshire Consumer Services Program wants to remind residents to stay vigilant. Scammers frequently use the emotional weight of Memorial Day to target local veterans, military families, and generous donors.

Dishonest actors are active right now, looking to exploit hard-earned benefits or redirect well-intentioned community donations into their own pockets.

Here are the top red flags the Berkshire Consumer Services Program recommends watching out for:

🔴 High-Risk Veteran Scams
"Pay-to-Play" VA Claims: Be highly skeptical of anyone charging upfront fees to help a veteran file for benefits or promising "expedited" processing. Free, accredited, and official assistance is always available.

Look-Alike Charities: Scammers invent patriotic-sounding organization names to pressure you into immediate donations via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.

Spoofed Government Forms: Scammers may pose as official VA representatives who are "verifying" file information or direct deposit routing numbers.

🛡️ How to Protect Yourself & Your Loved Ones

Verify the Charity: Before donating a single dollar, check the organization's rating and legitimacy on CharityNavigator.org or Watchdog.org.

Never Pay for VA Assistance: Never utilize unaccredited individuals or companies to handle VA claims. Work strictly with official VA resources or recognized, accredited Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs).

Keep Personal Data Secure: The VA will never cold-call, text, or email demanding your passwords, full Social Security number, or financial credentials.

Report Scams Locally!
If you or a loved one in Berkshire County encounters a suspicious offer, identity theft attempt, or a potential scam, don't keep it to yourself. Reach out to the Berkshire Consumer Services Program for local guidance, education, and consumer advocacy.

You can also file an official report nationally at VSAFE.gov or ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Let’s look out for our local veterans the way they looked out for us. 💙❤️

04/24/2026

The City of Pittsfield’s Department of Community Development has released the draft Annual Action Plan outlining how federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds will be used to address housing and community development needs in Pittsfield for the HUD Program Year 2026.

The Community Development Office, in conjunction with the City Council’s subcommittee on Community and Economic Development, will hold a public hearing on May 5 at 6:00 p.m. on the proposed CDBG program budget and draft 2026 Annual Action Plan. The public hearing will be held at City Hall, 70 Allen Street, in the Council Chambers.

The hearing is part of a 30-day public review process that is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that provides an opportunity for public input on the draft plan. Through what HUD terms an entitlement grant, HUD provides the city with CDBG funding on an annual basis. The 30-day public review and comment period runs from Wednesday, April 22, 2026 until 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2026.

The draft 2026 Annual Action Plan proposed budget of $2.1 million consists of $1.2 million in estimated new CDBG funds and $400,000 in expected program income and reprogrammed funds as well as an estimated $500,000 in available revolving loan funds.

The Department of Community Development has proposed using CDBG money during the upcoming 2026 fiscal year for projects that include public facilities, removal of architectural barriers, public services, housing rehabilitation, economic development, clearance, planning activities, and administrative costs.

Beginning April 21, 2026, copies of the draft 2026 Annual Action Plan are available for public review in the Community Development office, and on the city’s website: www.pittsfieldma.gov/235/Community-Development-Block-Grant.

Written comments can be submitted to Community Development at any time during the 30-day comment period via email at [email protected] or by mail to the Department of Community Development, 70 Allen St., Room 205, Pittsfield, MA, 01201. People with special needs should contact Community Development at (413) 499-9368 or TTY 413-499-9340 prior to the public hearing and every effort will be made to accommodate their requests.

03/19/2026

🛡️ CONSUMER ALERT: Protect Your Summer at Tanglewood!

The Berkshire Consumer Services Program at UpSide413 is issuing an urgent advisory for all concertgoers planning to attend the 2026 Tanglewood season.

Our office has already received reports of scam tickets and fraudulent transactions targeting fans of this year’s Popular Artist Series. We want to ensure your summer memories are defined by the music, not by the stress of a ticket scam.

⚠️ How to Spot a Ticket Scam

• The "Official" Impersonators: Some sites use "Tanglewood" or "Lenox Music" in their URL and mimic the BSO's branding. Always check that you are on Tanglewood.org or BSO.org.
• Sky-High Prices: Unverified resellers often list tickets for 3–4x the original price—or even sell "speculative" tickets they don’t even own yet!
• The "Free" Ticket Trap: Scammers have been known to sell student or lawn tickets for hundreds of dollars that were originally distributed for free or a fraction of the cost.

✅ The Golden Rule: Buy Official

To guarantee your seat and pay the correct price, only purchase through these verified channels:
1. Online: Tanglewood.org or BSO.org
2. Phone: 888-266-1200 (M-F, 10 A.M. - 4 P.M.)
3. In-Person: The Tanglewood Box Office (Main Gate) or the Symphony Hall Box Office in Boston.

Pro Tip: For the 2026 Popular Artist Series, the BSO uses Mobile Delivery or Box Office Hold to protect you from fraudulent printouts. If someone tries to sell you a "PDF" or "screenshot" of a Popular Artist ticket, it’s likely a scam!

Share this post to help your fellow music lovers stay safe. 🎻✨

03/05/2026

Are you struggling with a defective product, a debt collection issue, or any other problem with a business? The Berkshire Consumer Services Program, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, provides free mediation and counseling to help you resolve disputes.

Join us at Berkshire Community College on March 10th from 12-2 PM for National Consumer Protection Week. We’ll be sharing practical tips to help you:

Identify and report common scams 🕵️‍♂️

Understand your rights as a consumer 📜

Safeguard your digital identity 🔒

📍 Where: Susan B. Anthony Student Lounge
🗓️ When: March 10th | 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
🎁 Bonus: Grab some free resources (and maybe some swag!)

02/04/2026

All of us at UpSide413 (formerly BCRHA) are deeply saddened by the passing of our former colleague and friend, Lauren Bolio.

Lauren dedicated 10 years of her life to our organization, serving our community with unwavering compassion, strength, and care before retiring in 2017. She was a fierce advocate for justice and a true believer in the people she worked alongside and those we serve. She was an incredibly effective leader, serving as the Program Director of the Tenancy Preservation Program for many years. Her empathetic nature, humor at just the right moments, patience and understanding, and appropriate levels of stubbornness bolstered the staff she supervised and supported as well as the entire organization.

Lauren’s driven spirit, her deep kindness, and her love of life left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. Her presence made our organization stronger, and her legacy will continue to inspire us.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Lauren’s family, friends, and all who loved her. She will be greatly missed and always remembered. May her memory be a blessing.

View Lauren J. Bolio's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

01/27/2026

📢 UpSide413 wants to share with you an important resource for MA Residents!

Navigating the affordable housing market can be overwhelming for many families and individuals. Housing Navigator MA is a non-profit, state-wide tool.

How to Get Started:

1. Visit housingnavigatorma.org
2. Enter your preferred town, city, or zip code.
3. Use the "Filters" tool to narrow down results by rent, bedroom size, and availability.

01/26/2026

🛡️ Is your identity as safe as you think?

It’s Identity Theft Awareness Week. In the time it takes you to read this, someone’s personal data could be compromised. Here are 3 non-negotiable ways to lock down your life:

1. Freeze Your Credit. It’s free, and it’s the #1 way to stop scammers from opening new accounts in your name. ❄️

2. Audit Your Passwords. Use a password manager. If you’re still using "Password123" or your dog’s name, it’s time for an upgrade. 🔑

3. Turn on MFA. Multi-Factor Authentication is your digital deadbolt. Even if they have your password, they can't get in without that second code. 📱

Don't wait for a notification from your bank to start caring about data privacy. Which of these have you done lately? Let’s swap tips in the comments!