The Berkshire Eagle
September 26, 2024
Pittsfield: 2nd Street open house, ribbon cutting slated
In celebration of its newly expanded, more welcoming client service center, Second Street Second Chances (2nd Street) will hold a ribbon cutting and open house at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, at 264 Second St. The free event is open to the public.
2nd Street supports formerly incarcerated persons in Berkshire County and connects them with the tools, programs and support they need to successfully reenter their community.
Housed in the former Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction, 2nd Street opened in 2022 and occupied space on the second floor. Now, 2nd Street’s space has expanded from 1,500 square feet to 4,600 square feet. The remodeled space encompasses the first floor, including the building’s rotunda. The second floor will continue to be used for administrative functions and additional meeting space.
The newly designed common space includes an installation of “Insight Out,” an exhibition of visual art created by presently or formerly incarcerated individuals in Berkshire County. Berkshire Museum, which displayed the exhibition last fall, reinstalled the artwork into the new space.
The event also serves as the launch of “Using Our Outside Voices,” a literary journal featuring works by currently and formerly incarcerated individuals from Berkshire County, and will include a reading by one of the contributing authors. Copies will be available at no cost to attendees.