Great Barrington — The town Community Impact Fund (CIF) Committee has recommended the distribution of the following funds to area nonprofits:
- Railroad Street Youth Project, $162,000 for community work to educate and mentor youth in the community.
- Rural Recovery Resources, $100,000 to support the addition of a bilingual recovery coach.
- Volunteers in Medicine, $56,000 to support substance abuse counseling work, which also received CIF funding last year.
- Great Barrington Police Department, $182,000 over two years to help fund a Co-responder Program, which includes a mental health professional to accompany police to calls when needed.
Funds are received annually by the town from cannabis-related businesses, and the CIF Committee recommends how the funds are allocated, with priority for organizations addressing health-related impacts of cannabis businesses in the community. Presently, five such businesses operate in town.
