Employment

Goal:  Promoting Financial Stability and Independence

The number of Berkshire County residents living in poverty totaled 13% - or about 16,700 - in 2009, which was the same as the prior year but 3% points higher than the rest of the state. Median household income in the county was $42,290, only 66% of the state median income of $64,081. While home foreclosures are down from their highest levels they are still significant and there are still too many Berkshire County residents in financial crisis.  

How does Berkshire United Way help?

  1. Increasing financial literacy and support among those at risk of becoming homeless.
  2. Job training.
  3. Supporting emergency shelter and transitional and permanent housing.


Click here for a complete list of funded partners and programs Promoting Financial Stability and Independence

Testimonial - Berkshire Community Action Council Asset Development/Individual Development Account Program

“I'm not sure exactly how to word this, so I will try telling it as a story. We had dreamed of owning our own home for a while now, but never expected it to happen this quickly. One day I happened to be reading the Berkshire Eagle and read an article about a woman who had taken classes through the Berkshire Community Action Council called the Individual Development Account Program. This federally funded program was a series of six classes that taught about the process of buying a house and offered a 3:1 match on money that you saved. I was psyched. This program was a dream come true! I would be able to learn all about the home buying process and have my savings matched 3:1 up to $5,000. That meant if I saved $1,333 they would match it with $4,000. What could be better than that? I immediately contacted BCAC to learn all that I could about signing up. BCAC answered every question that I had, and the kindness and enthusiasm of the staff person was wonderful. Pretty soon I was enrolled in the classes, which taught me everything from how to search for a realtor to the process of closing on a home. We were also given the option to use our Individual Development Account money towards starting a business or continuing in school. After completing the program, my family and I soon found the house that we had been looking for and made an offer. I am happy to say that thanks to this program we now have our own backyard, our 6-year-old son has a room that is double the size of his previous one, and we even have a spare bedroom to add on to our family one day. I am so grateful that Berkshire Community Action Council offers classes like this one, and that I was lucky enough to be chosen. To this day, BCAC still keeps in touch and is there to answer any questions I have about owning a home. The IDA program has changed my life forever and I hope it continues on into the future.”