Canceled: Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2023-03-13 13:00 - 14:30, 2023-04-10 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
Please join our monthly meeting of the Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup, co-facilitated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Opioid Task Force. For more information on how to participate, please contact Karen Carmona, Program Associate at karen@opioidtaskforce.org.

Canceled: Education & Prevention Committee Meeting
2023-03-14 09:30 - 11:00
Please join us for our Education & Prevention Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

HEALing Communities Study Meeting
2023-03-15 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-04-19 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-05-17 14:00 - 16:00
Please join us for the monthly meeting of the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) effort in the Franklin County and North Quabbin Region. For more information on how to participate, please contact Tiarra Fisher, HCS Community Study Coordinator at tiarra@opioidtaskforce.org.

Second Chances: Employment & Training Options for Those with a History of Addiction or Incarceration
2023-03-16 14:00 - 15:00
Please join us on Thursday, March 16, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM, for “Second Chances”, as us as we learn more about three exciting efforts in our rural region to offer access to meaningful employment and training opportunities for individuals with a history of addiction and/or incarceration. You can register for this free virtual event, here, which is sponsored by the Opioid Task Force’s Housing & Workforce Development Committee.
Featured speakers include (in alpha order):

Tess Champoux, Account Manager, Working Fields
Kirsten Levitt, Co-Executive Director, Stone Soup Cafe, and Culinary Institute
Kristen Pease, Program Associate, Opioid Task Force, and Project Manager, The ARISE Initiative

Participation in meaningful employment and training opportunities is considered a crucial component of “recovery capital” for individuals whose lives have been interrupted by addiction and/or incarceration. We look forward to learning more about these important resources!

Healthcare Solutions Committee Meeting
2023-03-24 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-19 10:00 - 12:00
Join us for the Healthcare Solutions Committee meeting. Please contact Cathi Emery, Office & Data Manager for information on how to participate at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training
2023-03-24 14:00 - 15:00
Please join Tapestry and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region for an online Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training, scheduled for March 24, 2023, at 2:00 PM. You can register for this free event here.

Participants will learn the answers to these questions:

-What is an opioid overdose?
-How do you recognize and respond to an opioid overdose?
-How do you administer Narcan to reverse an opioid overdose?

Questions? Email narcan@opioidtaskforce.org.

Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force
2023-03-27 09:30 - 10:45
Please join our monthly meeting to discuss the emergency needs of unhoused individuals in the Franklin County and North Quabbin Region. To learn more about how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office, and Data Manager, at Cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

What's New With RAFT? 2023 Updates and Changes in the Emergency Housing Program
2023-03-30 14:00 - 15:00
Please join us on Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM, for “What’s New with RAFT? 2023 Updates and Changes in the Emergency Housing Program” with Amanda Watson, Director of Housing Consumer Education Center, and Val Lowden, Housing Navigator for the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority. One can register for this free event here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkdO2vpjsiHN2WFF4FJlW-8WGhJyLnpkiP.

This session will examine the changes in the Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) as of January 1, 2023.

Per the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website, “…the RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies caused by loss of income, increase in expenses, or both. Funding can be used for a variety of needs, including rent or mortgage arrears, security deposits, or other expenses to help households obtain or maintain stable housing. Households with incomes up to 50% of Area Median Income (AMI)*, or 60% of AMI for people who are at risk of homelessness because of domestic violence, are eligible for assistance.”

We will also be learning more about Val’s role as the newly hired Housing Navigator.

Canceled: Public Safety & Justice Committee Meeting
2023-04-03 13:00 - 14:30
Please join us for our Public Safety & Justice Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Harm Reduction Workgroup Meeting
2023-04-05 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-03 11:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our monthly Harm Reduction Workgroup meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Treatment & Recovery Committee Meeting
2023-04-07 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-05-05 10:00 - 11:30
Please join us for our monthly Treatment & Recovery Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

CAM Workgroup Meeting
2023-04-11 11:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our Complementary & Alternative Medicines (CAM) Workgroup meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Overdose Prevention & Narcan Train-the-Trainer Training
2023-04-13 10:00 - 16:30
Learn how to save a life!
Please join HRiA and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region to learn how to become a trainer to offer Overdose Prevention & Narcan Trainings!

For more information on how to register, reach out at narcan@opioidtaskforce.org

LifePath's HomeShare Program: Is It For You?
2023-04-13 14:00 - 15:00
Home sharing is a creative option to address the lack of affordable local housing and honor the desire of older adult homeowners to live in their homes. LifePath HomeShare is a program in which two or more people may share a home and expenses to their mutual benefit.

So just a reminder to please join us this Thursday, April 13, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM, as we learn more from Charity Day, Associate Director of Client Services at LifePath about three options for Home Seekers (those seeking to rent) as noted below. One can register for this free event below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUof-Gvqz4iHdBatZrk7wr3jWulaj_LYQFP

The three options are:

1) Rent Only – The Home Seeker pays full monthly housing costs.
2) Reduced Rent in Exchange for Some Help – The Home Seeker pays reduced rent in exchange for performing minimal tasks. 3) No Rent in Exchange for Help – The Home Seeker pays no rent in exchange for performing household or care tasks. No two home-sharing arrangements are alike! Each is negotiated based on the needs and interests of all participants This is a great opportunity for students, people new to the area, part-time workers, and retirees.
3) No Rent in Exchange for Help – The Home Seeker pays no rent in exchange for performing household or care tasks. No two home-sharing arrangements are alike! Each is negotiated based on the needs and interests of all participants

This is a great opportunity for students, people new to the area, part-time workers, and retirees.

Methadone Workgroup Meeting
2023-04-13 15:00 - 16:00
Please join us for our monthly meeting of the Methadone Workgroup. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Housing & Workforce Development Committee Meeting
2023-04-14 10:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our Housing & Workforce Development Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Building a Resilient Community Workgroup Meeting
2023-04-19 11:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our monthly meeting of the Building a Resilient Community Workgroup. For more information on how to participate, please contact Karen Carmona, Program Associate at karen@opioidtaskforce.org.

Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force Meeting
2023-04-24 09:30 - 10:45, 2023-05-22 09:30 - 10:45

Massachusetts Opioid Settlement Funding 101: What it Means for Your Community
2023-04-27 14:00 - 15:00
Over $50 billion dollars has been awarded nationwide as a result of successful litigation to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for “fueling the opioid crisis through actions like downplaying the risks of prescription opioids and promoting the use of the drugs.” The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, under the leadership of Maura Healey, led these national efforts, which resulted in Massachusetts receiving nearly $927M to support a range of opioid-related interventions. Learn more about how these efforts on Thursday, April 27, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM for “Massachusetts Opioid Settlement Funding 101: What it Means for Your Community” with Catherine Madden, Project Manager, Opiate Task Force, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, and Phoebe Walker, Community Services Director, Franklin Regional Council of Governments. Participants will learn: *How the Commonwealth of Massachusetts benefits from these opioid settlement dollars. *How the state and municipalities are able to fund activities to mitigate the harm of over-prescribed opioids in their communities. *How to ask questions about funds available to municipalities at town meetings.

You can register for this free event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUufu-vpzwoEtcoBKT9EXvc0FazrE5lIfhu.

413Cares: A Primer
2023-05-04 14:00 - 15:00
Please join us Thursday, May 4, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM, as we learn more about 413Cares, an interactive, online tool to connect people with resources in Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region as part of a Western Massachusetts database, now that Look4Help ceased its operations as of February 28, 2023. You can register for this free event here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtcuqgrj0uEtJ92X0e9XoKTCyH60ZGkHAn

Liv Anna Homstead, Coalition Building Manager, and Francheska Bermudez, 413Cares Program Coordinator, of the Public Health Institute of Western MA will be on hand to help people:

See how 413Cares is set up and organized.
Learn how your organizations can access many helpful tools to participate.
Find and connect to community services.
Get your questions answered.

Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2023-05-08 13:00 - 14:30

Education & Prevention Committee Meeting
2023-05-09 09:30 - 11:00

The Franklin County Reentry Center: A Year Later
2023-06-01 14:00 - 15:00
Please join us for “The Franklin County Reentry Center: A Year Later” scheduled for Thursday, June 1, 2023, 2 PM – 3 PM, via Zoom. One can register for this free event here.

Prior to the pandemic, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office received funding to open the Franklin County Reentry Center, located at 106 Main Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Open for nearly a year, the Franklin County Reentry Center offers a range of exciting programs and resources for formerly incarcerated individuals in a trauma-informed setting. This session will provide additional information about the vision, aim, and goals of this effort, featuring speakers such as

Jen Brzezinski, LCSW, Manager, Franklin County Reentry Center
Laurie Kamansky, LADC1, CADC, Reentry Supervisor
Ken Chartrand, Reentry Planner
Jenn Avery, Reentry Caseworker
Ruben Mercado, Reentry Caseworker
Louis Freilicher, CHW, Reentry Caseworker
Courtney Silva, M.Ed, Reentry Caseworker
Mickey Armenti, Reentry Caseworker
