BRATTLEBORO-Days before the lease was to run out at 69A Elliot St., the community space there known by its address has found a new home at 134 Elliot St.
And it’s bigger. And better. And cheaper.
“It’s awesome,” says Coordinator Lisa Marie, and you can see her smiling through the phone. “It’s humongous and amazing and beautiful.”
The new space is owned by dermatologist Dr. Rebecca Jones. Her practice is in a building where she rents space across the parking lot.
“I have a lot of friends who are very engaged in supporting the community and they had told me about 69A, and I just feel like things are so hard for everybody and the more support we can give our community, the better, so I figured it was something I can do,” Jones tells The Commons of her decision to rent the space.
A year ago, artist Katie Bachler and her husband, Scott Berzofsky, took out a one-year lease at 69A Elliot to “make a community space.”
The couple tapped into their savings to do so in the aftermath of the national election and last year’s contentious local debate over “acceptable community conduct.”
The former owners of Avenue Grocery said they wanted to restore a community gathering place in the same spirit of the community convenience store that they briefly ran on Western Avenue in 2017 and 2018.
Amid the final dismantling of the state’s motel program in July for those who were unsheltered and the already acute homelessness epidemic in the region, 69A Elliot Street became a safe space for all, offering free coffee, tea, water, wi-fi access, various gear and supplies (including tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, and clothing), restrooms, music, and a social milieu.
Lisa Marie is over the moon at how things have resolved since she learned the center would have to relocate.
“It was really nice in our other space, but we had outgrown it a while ago,” she says. “Rebecca was kind enough to let us be here, and it’s awesome.”
The center is on the first floor at 134 Elliot, in the space formerly occupied by the Restless Rooster restaurant.
Many people have suggested new names for the space, but Marie says for now it will remain the same.
“For right now we’re going to keep it as 69A,” she says with a smile. “Lots of people have suggestions, and we’re looking at them all.”
The group will have more room to do new things, and Lisa Marie is planning to start a men’s recovery group soon and, later, a women’s recovery group.
“We’re going to have areas so we can have more private conversations if needed, and an area for trainings. Today, we had certified CPR training here,” she says.
Folks can go to the center to get warm, eat, chat, get hot coffee or hot chocolate, and get some warm clothing.
Lisa Marie says the center is still gearing up for two meals a day so they will probably serve only lunch only for now, adding breakfast later. They’re also not using the space’s stove because most food is brought in cooked, “which is amazing,” she says.
Loaves & Fishes, the community meal ministry of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, brings food Tuesdays and Fridays and others do so throughout the week but hot cooked meals are welcome any time.
Although the center serves from 70 to 130 people daily, Marie says it’s “great to have even one pan for about 30, 35.”
The center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you’d like to offer a hot meal, call or text 413-418-8227.
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.