Awards

MHSA Honors Innovators Working to End Homelessness

Pamela Schwartz; Joyce Tavon, senior director of policy & programs, MHSA; and Joe Finn

Worcester, MA – The Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) held its Home for Good fundraiser and award ceremony on May 5 at Worcester’s Polar Park.

Edward M. Augustus, Jr. (l) and Joe Finn

During the Home for Good at Home Plate event, MHSA recognized four individuals and a related organization, highlighted MHSA’s initiatives and recent achievements, and raised funds in support of efforts to end homelessness across the Commonwealth.

Edward M. Augustus, Jr., Worcester’s city manager since 2014, received the Canon Brian S. Kelley Public Servant Award. In his current role, Augustus has overseen an economic resurgence and investments in housing, new business growth, and development.

Alex Corrales, CEO of the Worcester Housing Authority (WHA), received the Bob Ray Partnership Award. He helped to launch the WHA’s Real Estate Development division to address the shortage of affordable housing in Worcester. WHA project, “A Place to Live,” will build 24 apartments for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.

Alex Corrales (l) and Joe Finn

James Arthur Jemison, former deputy undersecretary of the Department of Housing & Community Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, was presented with the inaugural Rep. Byron Rushing Commitment to Housing Award. Jemison specializes in city planning, urban development and revitalization, and housing policy, and became the City of Boston’s inaugural chief of planning in May.

Pamela Schwartz and the organization she heads, the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness, received MHSA’s Cornerstone Award. An attorney by training and a former city councilor who represented Northampton, Schwartz works with the network and its 200 partners across Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties, focusing their efforts on racial equity and the root causes of homelessness.

James Arthur Jemison (l) and Joe Finn

“Throughout their long and distinguished careers, each one of our 2022 honorees has endeavored to make life better for the most vulnerable among us. Their dedication to social justice and innovation in housing is unparalleled,” said Joe Finn, president and executive director of MHSA.