There are 18 communities in the Berkshire region that do not have a single housing unit considered “affordable” for the purposes of the State’s Chapter 40B housing inventory. Nearly all of these communities are small, rural towns facing increasing development pressures. Frequently these communities feel impotent in their ability to manage growth in a way that addresses housing needs while maintaining their unique rural character and sense of community. In many of these towns persons of modest means--persons with disabilities and young working families including farmers, teachers, firefighters, nurses and police officers--are “priced out” of the local housing market. Often young families cannot afford to buy or rent a home in the very town where they were born and raised. With funding from the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), the Berkshire Community Housing Trust project will allow small, rural communities to explore and develop ways to take control of their own destiny with regard to local housing needs and decisions.