Malden Mayor’s Housing Task Force

…working to keep the neighborhoods safe & clean

MALDEN, MA
Mayor Richard C. Howard

The specific problem addressed

Established in 1996 by Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard, the Mayor’s Housing Task Force takes advantage of Chapter 111, Section 1271 of the Massachusetts General Laws, which provides the opportunity to inspect problem residential and commercial properties throughout this urban city of some 56,000 persons located just 10 minutes north of Boston. The city with the cooperation of the local court system exercises this so-called housing receivership law only after it has exhausted all other avenues with egregious properties that have a long history of code violations and in often cases numerous public safety complaints. It is the nuisance properties – the illegal rooming houses, the vacant and abandoned properties – that the city is targeting under this Pride in Malden campaign.

The Task Force unites in a common goal the efforts of the Mayor’s office, the Malden Redevelopment Authority, the Malden Fire and Police Departments, the City of Malden’s Board of Health, Code Enforcement, Building, Legal, Plumbing and Wiring Departments, along with the Assessor’s and Tax Collector’s offices to eliminate blight in the neighborhoods. Generally property owners are cooperative when encouraged to undertake actions to correct code violations. Low-cost financing to undertake the much-needed repairs is also offered by the MRA, which has overseen a housing rehabilitation loan program since the 1960’s. For those property owners who are not cooperative—and there have only been a few—the MRA on behalf of the city is named the receiver of the property by the local district court and undertakes the needed repairs on its own. The local banking community also came forward to provide the upfront financing at low cost to effectuate the repairs in a receivership situation.

Major activities undertake and/or services provided

The Malden Mayor’s Task Force receives its referrals from neighbors, police or fire officials and Malden City Councillors who suspect abandonment, considerable neglect, or in some cases, illegal activities. Task Force members inspect these properties from the outside for building and safety code violations. Officials say most common violations include missing windows, holes in roofs, and dilapidated stairs or unregistered vehicles, which often violate the community’s fire code. Whether the code violations are observed outside or inside a house, inspectors will attempt to locate the owner and ask permission to complete an inspection. If they are denied permission they seek a court order to allow an inspection. Armed with video and still cameras, inspectors go through these properties and record conditions and breaches of building and health codes. Homeowners are typically given seven days to address the citied problems, after which the receivership process starts. Receivership is not the goal of the task force. The goal is to work with property owners to reach a solution.

Approach to leadership and organization, including roles of the city and other partners

As stated above, the Task Force unites several city departments in this effort to keep Malden’s neighborhoods safe and clean. In other words, the goal is to target abandoned, dilapidated housing based on a past history of complaints, problems and violations. The day-to-day director of the Malden Mayor’s Housing Task Force is a 35-plus year employee of the Malden Redevelopment Authority with extensive experience in the housing financing field, the home rehabilitation process, and who has earned statewide recognition for his expertise in the code violation and lead paint violations fields. Not to be overlooked is the great working relationship that the Task Force enjoys with the local district court which has been a willing partner in this effort to rid Malden of nuisance properties.

Most serious challenges encountered and how they were overcome

There were two major challenges that needed to be overcome to ensure the program’s success. Both of the challenges were overcome through better communication. In the first instance, the program had to gain buy-in from the various city departments, many of which were not accustomed to working together on a regular basis. Ongoing communications and twice a month meetings fostered a good working relationship among the players at the table. Additionally, communication with the greater Malden community was also key in acquainting the residents/businesses with the Task Force and its role. Pamphlets were produced, infomercials were done on the local cable access station, articles were placed in the local papers and inserts about the task force and the city’s pride in Malden campaign were inserted in various city mailings including the property tax bills.

Most significant or visible results—both quantitative and qualitative

There have been significant results in terms of the overall quality of life in the city’s various neighborhoods since the inception of the program 10 years ago:

• More than 1,000 properties have been inspected and from those inspections approximately 500 properties were targeted. To date, there have been seven receiverships and six demolitions.
• One-time vacant and abandoned properties have been rehabilitated, sold to owner-occupants and returned to the tax rolls.
• Properties that once had a blighting affect on the overall quality of life in the neighborhood have been restored.
• Vacant eyesores, now restored, have been the catalyst for other home improvements in the neighborhoods.
• Public nuisance properties, for example, a house in which a moderately handicapped 80-year-old woman was virtually held hostage and neglected by her drug-dealing grandsons until a social service agency contacted the Task Force or the illegal rooming house where a dozen or so tenants resided in what was once a three-family home have been restored and sold to owner-occupants. Incidentally, the proceeds from the first sale were set aside in order to finance in full the cost of providing elderly housing and care for the octogenarian.
• Stolen property in some instances has been recovered once the Task Force gains access to abandoned/vacant property.

Lessons learned

There has been a learning curve associated with this program. Some of the issues that need to be addressed early on include the selection of the right contractor who can deliver a project on time; the outreach to the banking community to ensure an adequate amount at all times of available capital to effectuate the repairs, and the internal and external communication efforts.

Contact persons

Ronald F. Grasso
Director of Neighborhood Revitalization
Malden Redevelopment Authority
Malden Government Center
200 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
Tel: 781-324-5720

Deborah A. Burke
Project Director
Economic Development & Planning
Malden Redevelopment Authority/
Mayor’s Office
Malden Government Center
200 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
Tel: 781-397-7000
dburke@cityofmalden.org

 

Click Here to learn about HOMES FOR SALE through the Mayors Housing Task Force