Local Affordable Housing Gets a $5,000 Shot in The Arm

Great Barrington, MA - The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDCSB) announced today that Salisbury Bank has made a $5,000 grant to CDCSB, funding its work building low-moderate income housing and creating jobs in the Berkshires. This grant will support the organization by growing its general fund to expand staff and further the non-profit’s important work helping families and individuals in the southern Berkshire region.

“There continues to be a need for affordable housing in our local communities and we are pleased to support the work of CDCSB and similar organizations who are taking steps to meet that need,” said Rick Cantele, President and CEO of Salisbury Bank. “Reinvestment in our communities through contributions, sponsorships and volunteer work has been, and will continue to be, a vital part of who we are as an organization.”

Salisbury Bank is a full-service community bank headquartered in Lakeville, Connecticut and presently operates full service branches in Canaan, Lakeville, Salisbury, and Sharon, Connecticut; Great Barrington, Sheffield, and South Egremont, Massachusetts; as well as Dover Plains, Fishkill, Millerton, New Paltz, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and Red Oaks Mill, New York. The Bank has been serving families and businesses for over 170 years and offers a full range of consumer and business banking products and services as well as trust and investment services.

“Access to affordable housing strengthens our economy and positively affects the lives of families by improving financial stability and providing a safe and stable environment for parents and school children,” said Tim Geller, Executive Director of CDCSB. “We are grateful to Salisbury Bank for its continued support of our work in creating healthy and sustainable communities.”

Most recently, CDCSB was awarded approximately $15.5 million in state and federal funding for its Bentley Apartments project in Great Barrington. These affordable housing funds from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development complete the financing package needed for both the housing project, as well as the remediation of 100 Bridge, the former New England Log Homes site. Construction is expected to commence in early summer 2019.

CDCSB is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating job opportunities, promoting economic development, and building low-moderate income housing in the southern Berkshires. In collaboration with other like-minded organizations, CDCSB has helped build over 60 affordable housing units and leveraged over $36 million in private and public funding.

As a nonprofit organization, CDCSB actively seeks support for its many ongoing projects and programs. To make a donation or for further information about CDCSB, please visit cdcsb.org or call 413-528-7788.

Photo Caption: Rick Cantele (right), President and CEO of Salisbury Bank, Amanda Goewey, Vice President and Berkshire Regional Branch Manager of Salisbury Bank, and Jim Harwood, CDCSB Board President

(press release and article images sent to WSBS from the CDCSB for online/on-air use)