EASTHAMPTON — In a post-COVID world, working from home has become commonplace, with around 27% of the United States workforce remote at least part time in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Alongside the rise of remote work is the rise of co-workspaces: office spaces where individuals or groups of working professionals assemble to work on separate projects for separate companies.

“A lot of larger businesses are downsizing their office spaces, but they still might need places to meet,” said Moe Belliveau, executive director of the Chamber of Greater Easthampton, which is trying its own hand at creating a co-workspace for remote workers, freelancers, entrepreneurs and other working professionals without their own traditional office space.

“We have been thinking about doing this for quite awhile. COVID really just pushed us right into that direction,” she added.

The co-workspace initiative, called WorkHub on Union, seeks to empower entrepreneurs and workers with a collaborative environment and administrative support, along with services from the Chamber itself.

Once completed, the space — to be built at the Chamber’s current location at 33 Union St. — will accommodate up to 18 people at private desks, shared semi-private desks, a communal space, a conference room, a phone booth-type space for virtual calls, and a coffee area.

The space will also offer Wi-Fi and “light administrative support” like taking phone messages and sorting the mail.

“And the space will be versatile enough so that we can move furniture around as we need to create some educational space,” Belliveau said.

The Chamber is currently in the process of raising funds, with a goal of $400,000 to cover construction costs, and Belliveau said the workspace is aimed to open by the end of next year.

So far, funding has come from Greenfield Savings Bank, bankESB, an earmark from Sen. John Velis Rep. Dan Carey, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Development, and a $50,000 grant through the state’s Community One Stop for Growth program.

Mayor Nicole LaChapelle said the project is “exactly what Easthampton needs, very dynamic in the middle of our downtown district.”

“It’s a win for everybody,” LaChapelle said.

The project is part of the city’s Local Rapid Recovery Program, which includes recommendations to prepare businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were very specific and strategic in how we went about what we wanted to have on that list,” Belliveau said, adding that the city, Chamber, and Easthampton City Arts all have projects under the recovery plan.

LaChapelle said, “It partners really well with our first efforts to help small businesses and micro businesses. … It’s really a great continuation of what the Chamber started during the pandemic.”

Once open, Chamber members will be eligible for a discounted co-workspace membership — which comes with added benefits like marketing, networking and cost-savings opportunities — though nonmembers are also welcome to join the workspace.

Belliveau said membership costs have not yet been determined.

The target audience, she said, is the “shadow economy.”

“Those are businesses that are currently informal, so they’re working on their kitchen table or they’re working out of their basement to create whatever it is that they’re creating,” Belliveau said.

The idea is to move those from informal businesses to formal businesses within the city, providing them with support “so that their foundation is sturdy and strong.”

Ultimately, Belliveau said, the program will build resilience, success and economic growth for both individuals and the community.

“The health of your community is dependent on your economic health, and the health of families is based on your economic health,” she said. “When you have the economic piece covered, family life is more stable.”

Maddie Fabian can be reached at mfabian@gazettenet.com.