Holyoke Police Chief Brian Keenan discusses the importance of the new programs being implemented in Holyoke.
Reminder Publishing photo by Tyler Garnet
HOLYOKE — The city of Holyoke and Hampden County Sheriff’s Office hosted a press conference on July 9 to announce the launch of the After Incarceration Support Systems satellite office in Holyoke, a significant step in making life-changing support services more accessible to residents.
There will be three human service programs in the War Memorial Building at 310 Appleton St., including Holyoke Police Department’s Street Outreach Program, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department’s All Inclusive Support Services for formerly incarcerated individuals and Holyoke’s Community Response Advocate, a newly created position providing guidance, referrals, support services and answers to individuals with questions or difficulties.
Participants in the press conference included Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia, Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, Holyoke Police Chief Brian Keenan, Holyoke City Councilor Israel Rivera and Holyoke Community Development Director Alicia Zoeller.
Zoeller talked more about the newly created Community Response Advocate position and explained, “We know that we need to have a system here within city government to respond to these calls. By creating this new position, we’re hoping that they’ll be a single point of contact in the city that all of these calls that come in on a daily basis, can be funneled to one person in office for community development to triage those calls and make sure that people are connected to the services that they need.”
She also said that Holyoke offers a lot of great services and has several partners that this new position can hopefully lead families and residents to.
Garcia said the announcement of these new programs and new position being offered in Holyoke ties in with his overall hope for the city.
“I believe empathy is our fundamental strength,” Garcia stated, “Here in the city of Holyoke, and everyone I’m sure has heard me say this before, we’re a compassionate city. We’re a place that helps our residents, first, second, third, fourth, sometimes fifth chances until you get it right,” Garcia said.
While Holyoke led the announcement, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office shared additional insight into Cocchi’s vision for the Holyoke AISS site and how this expansion is designed to meet people where they are.
The new Holyoke AISS location builds on the success of the flagship AISS center in Springfield on State Street. Established in 1996 as the first program of its kind in the nation, AISS provides comprehensive, wrap-around support to justice-involved individuals returning to the community as well as anyone in need in Western Massachusetts.
“This is about providing hope and opportunity and making it as easy as possible for people to get the tools they need to succeed,” said Cocchi.
He continued, “We’ve seen the impact AISS has had in Springfield, and I’m excited to bring that same vision to Holyoke.”
Services include case management, housing and job referrals, recovery support, and connections to vital resources, helping thousands of people rebuild their lives each year.
The Holyoke office represents a milestone in expanding these services across Hampden County. By creating a local “mini hub” staffed with bilingual case managers, the Sheriff’s Office is addressing transportation and access barriers for Holyoke residents returning from incarceration or in need of support.
Keenan highlighted how important it is that these services are now being offered in Holyoke so people in the city won’t have to travel to Springfield to get the help they need.
“You don’t realize how important that drivers license is. For a guy getting out of state prison who lives on High Street whose told he’s got to go to State Street to get there, he can’t think about getting a job, he can’t think about getting to his kids basketball game, he can’t think about anything because he’s worried about punching a ticket to get on [a] bus, and we’re bringing the services to them which is going to set people up to win,” Keenan explained.
Cocchi shared how well he thinks the program will work in Holyoke and set a goal.
“I promise you, let’s get back here in a year and let’s watch the crime rate go down in the city of Holyoke but most important, let’s watch the quality of life rise here in the city of Holyoke,” he concluded.
