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NORTH ADAMS — More than 140 people converged on the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Church Street Center on Friday to study all aspects of poverty in the Berkshires.

The all-morning Community Conversation on Poverty event was capped off by some remarks from U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, who noted that the Trump administration is doing its best to hamstring efforts to alleviate the worst impacts of poverty, such as hunger and homelessness.

On hand were panelists to coordinate breakout group sessions to talk about specific aspects of poverty, define the problem, and discuss barriers, gaps in services and possible solutions.

After each panelist addressed the group as a whole to bring some basic definition and status of each problem, the audience split into eight groups to discuss each poverty-driven issue. Those issues were jobs, adult education, hunger and food insecurity, transportation, housing, child care, financial literacy and opioid addiction. 

After the group sessions, each of the panelists gave their report to the reconvened crowd.

Robert Malnati, administrator at the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, said the group focusing on transportation sees a need for free fares for certain riders and an express route from North Adams to Pittsfield along Route 7 for those who live in one and work in the other.

The group also expressed a need to address inequitable state funding for the state's farthest western transportation authority.

Anne Nenetz-Carlson, executive director of Child Care of the Berkshires, said that challenges to affordable child care in the county include factors like transportation and affordable spaces to locate a child care center. A lack of child care also is an issue, as indicated by waiting lists that are so long, some children never get placed.

Low pay levels for caregivers, and a need for classes on parenting skills for new parents, also were identified as local challenges.

Jonathan Butler, CEO of 1Berkshire, reported for the jobs group. He explained that even though there are up to 2,000 job openings at any given time, and have been for the past few years, there still is a significant portion of the populace that has barriers to employment that keep it there, such as a lack of transportation and the need for a living wage. Entry-level job wages frequently are insufficient to provide shelter, food and transportation.

"If an employer wants to get someone out of poverty and into a meaningful role as a team member, then they'll need to see the importance of pay levels," Butler said.