Malden Housing Authority welcomes state Housing Secretary Augustus on project review visit

Malden Director Finn, Mayor Christenson, State House delegation tour local projects at Forestdale senior housing

By Steve Freker

As is said about many who take on a new position in public service or private industry, Edward Augustus “hit the ground running” when he was named as the Commonwealth’s first Housing Secretary in more than 30 years just over a year ago.

In the course of heading up Governor Maura Healey’s new Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), Augustus had done so, literally.

“I made a promise after accepting my position that I would visit every housing authority in Massachusetts,” Augustus told the audience assembled at the Roland Graham Forestdale Senior Citizens Housing Community Room Thursday morning. “This is my 55th visit.”

The statewide housing crisis is real and affects thousands of Massachusetts residents, Augustus told those in attendance, with the visit hosted by Malden Housing Authority (MHA) Executive Director Steve Finn and Mayor Gary Christenson.

Several Malden state-level elected officials were on hand as well, including state Sen. Jason Lewis, D-5th Middlesex and state Reps. Paul Donato, D-Malden, Medford and Kate Lipper-Garabedian, D-Malden, Melrose. Several MHA Board members including chairperson Joan Chiasson, Frank Molis and Karen Nystrom were present as well.

As for the growing housing crisis, relief is coming as a result of a sweeping, multi-faceted, $1.6 Housing Bond Bill, recently passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Healey.

Augustus said that over the course of the next three years, phases of much-needed repairs and rehabilitation of existing housing units would be initiated and completed statewide.

“There are 43,000 units of (state) public housing for over 70,000 residents and we need them to stay online,” Augustus said Thursday. “This housing crisis is real, and we cannot afford to lose any of the units we still have.”

In addition to repairing and rehabbing existing units, Augustus spoke of the new opportunities presented by the Housing Bond Bill to improve, expand and enhance accessibility in public housing.

“We should be leading by example when it comes to accessibility and we are doing by proactively addressing accessibility issues,” Augustus, former Town Manager in Worcester, said. “There is a huge need.

“When many of the housing units were built pre-World War II or right after, they were built 2 or 3 stories with no elevators,” Augustus said. “Someone 90-year-old with a walker just does not have the ability to move freely in that case.  Laundry rooms were located in the central, middle areas of complexes.

“These are situations we are now able to address with this new housing bond bill,” the EOHLC Secretary said. “We don’t want people isolated where they live. They should be able to age in place comfortably if they wish.”

Both Augustus, MHA Executive Director Finn and Mayor Christenson took time and thanked the state delegation in attendance, as well as Malden state Rep. Steve Ultrino, who was unable to attend Thursday, for their strident support of the housing bond bill.

“Senator Lewis and Reps. Donato, Lipper-Garabedian and Ultrino are all longtime supporters of the Malden Housing Authority and we are very grateful for their support of the new housing bond bill, which will provide support for the repair and rehab of Malden units long after I am gone,” MHA Executive Director Finn said. “We will be changing people’s lives for the better.”

Finn then led a tour of some rehabilitation projects now under way at the Roland Graham House units at Forestdale which involved reconfiguring electrical setups. including breaker boxes, and replacing windows and doors with new, more energy efficient models, which are easier to use.

This project is funded by the state and known as the MOD-Phase renewal initiative. Eric Svendsen, MHA project maintenance foreman, led the tour and explained the changes and procedures being used.

He also showed those on the tour some major improvements made to parking areas around the units, which tripled the number of parking spaces available in at least two locations.

“The residents of these units are patient when we have to move them out temporarily, and they are very excited and appreciative when they return,” Svendsen said. “We are not making eye-popping alterations, but we are absolutely their quality of life.”