PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Affordable Housing Trust has four months to commit a half-million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Community Development Director Justine Dodds delivered this "somewhat surprising" news to the panel last week. It was previously believed that they had a couple more years to decide which housing projects would receive support.

"As compressed as it may seem, I feel like we are really in kind of a good spot," Dodds said, explaining that the panel has letters of interest, an overview of interested applicants, and a full application that will allow them to make an informed decision.

What this means, she said, is that the board will have to review the applications in depth and commit to getting them done in September and October. Members voted for a Sept. 17 deadline understanding that some applications may require additional information.

The U.S. Department of Treasury has updated its guidance over the last couple of months, having a couple of effects on the trust's process. Some $500,000 was allocated from the city to the trust and there was somewhat of a memorandum of understanding between the two entities that was believed to comply with the 2026 deadline, Dodds said.

"We no longer feel that that is the case," she explained.

"So what I have been told is that it looks like the arrangement between the city and the Affordable Housing Trust isn't considered to be obligated under the Treasury guidance and this is really going to speed up our timeline. We have to have everything committed by the end of December."

The trust plans to contact those who have submitted letters of intent and ask for a full application before its next meeting. Final recommendations are staged for October.  

Earlier this summer, five affordable or partially affordable housing projects were reviewed: three from local organizations and two from wider-reaching developers. This includes Hearthway (formerly known as Berkshire Housing,) Berkshire Habitat for Humanity, and the Westside Legends.