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Mayor announces new Office of Housing Stability

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Mayor Gary Christenson recently announced the creation of the City of Malden’s Office of Housing Stability, a new department that will help Malden residents find and keep their housing by providing a range of services to renters, homeowners and landlords. The Office of Housing Stability will provide services like rental, mortgage and legal assistance, eviction and foreclosure prevention, landlord-tenant mediation, housing search, case management and more.

“The pandemic underscored the importance of acting locally to address our nation’s housing crisis,” said Christenson. “Since 2020, the city has launched several programs focused on rental assistance, mortgage assistance, and eviction prevention to help keep our community whole. The Office of Housing Stability is a natural evolution of those programs, and just one part of our strategy to address the housing crisis.”

“Malden’s bold actions to advance housing security are a model for other cities and demonstrate exactly what local government should do during the housing crisis,” said Housing Families, Inc. (HFI) CEO Laura Rossi. “Housing Families has worked with the City of Malden on countless initiatives, and we’re eager to continue that partnership in this new capacity.”

The Office of Housing Stability will be operated by HFI and staffed by a team of five: a supervising attorney/director, two staff attorneys, a paralegal and a case manager. HFI, a Malden-based nonprofit, was selected following a competitive procurement process, and the organization has provided housing services in Malden and surrounding communities since 1986. The City provided HFI with $550,000 to fund the initiative.

The Office of Housing Stability was created using the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The program was designed by the Mayor’s Office and Malden’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development and enthusiastically recommended by the city’s ARPA Subcommittee on Resident Support.

Residents needing assistance should call 781-397-7000 ext. 5721 or email housingstability@cityofmalden.org. Translation services are available. Learn more at https://www.cityofmalden.org/927/Housing-Stability

Shown from left to right are Malden Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator Bybiose Larochelle, Special Assistant to the Mayor Maria Luise, Community Organizer Zayda Ortiz, Malden Community Development Director Alex Pratt, Ward 7 Councillor Chris Simonelli, Mayor Gary Christenson, HFI Executive Director Laura Rossi, Esq., HFI Staff Attorney Heather Van Orman, HFI Director of Homelessness Prevention and Legal Services Jayna Stafford, Esq., and Roseanne Kiggundu, Esq. (Photo Courtesy of the City of Malden)

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