1.13.2025 Housing Authority

going to call this meeting to order we do a roll call please chairman long y Vice chairman underill here commissioner Burns here commissioner Bentley here commissioner madus here Council we're going to read the uh language of the open meeting law please thank you Mr chairman uh the language for the open meeting LW is as follows person to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or video

recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible thank you citizen input do we have any citizens that wish to speak tonight seeing none we'll move to resident input next one what do you mean next one next next

month okay minutes of the regular meeting I hope we've all reviewed them um if we have is there any is there a motion to accept the minutes of the meeting held December 9th motion accept minutes second motion made in second is is there any discussion all those in favor I I opposed

bills and communication

vouchers motion to accept second motion made and seconded all those in favor I opposed management reports y applications occupancy reports tenants accounts receivable yeah work order reports monthly Section 8 voucher activity report monthly personal account report director of modernization monthly report Bank investment and bond debt balance reports I'll make a motion to accept the eight management

reports second motion made in second any any discussion all those in favor I opposed Financial reports for November

2024 I have a motion a motion to accept the financial reports from November 2024 second motion made and seconded any discussion all those in favor I opposed update from the executive director thank you chairman Long Fellow commission is the viewing public happy New Year just a uh few things bring you up to speed under Human Resources we hired a custodian and and a accounting clerk and we will also be interviewing for

additional public housing clerks to support that staff out in the field resident services um I've mentioned this in the past we were looking into uh piano lessons that is scheduled to kick off tomorrow at 3:30 at the Sunset Hill Community Hall we have uh 10 or 11 um residents that were interested so we're excited about that under management uh last week we conducted our public hearing on the 8th

um and addressed the uh annual plan and the fiveyear plan to the few that were in attendance so we after tonight's vote on that we will be submitting that into HUD um that is do in on Friday the 17th I've also included in this month's packet you have a list of goals and objectives that I put together for the new year 2025 just touches on some of the things that we have been doing and and strive

to continue to do um as well as some of the um object objectives that we hope to achieve uh this year so uh I'm sure you've all read through that uh traditionally it's to maintain our um strong scaring under the react inspires uh maintain our high occupancy rate and leasing rate uh flip the vacant units for uh the applicants waiting in uh under 29 days so those things are are

our core values and then you know you have a few other things in there that that I listed so um with that that is all I have for tonight um if anyone has any questions I'm happy to answer it if not can move along on the agenda thank you any have any questions for the director yeah you uh so uh director sparella um of these 11 items is is there any one that

it stands out that is uh more critical than the others um well obviously um our financial reporting in a timely manner without finding is is top of the list um flipping our vacancies in 29 days or less that's a a HUD and a eohc Rec recommendation maintaining um 97% or higher occupancy is a is a standard that HUD and eohc um likes to see and I guess what I'll be striving for in this

fiscal year is to achieve the high performer uh We've routinely do that uh under the Section 8 uh housing Choice voucher program uh Carrie does an outstanding job leading that program um so we're hoping to achieve that on the public housing side is that is that something we've achieved in the past or has that been an elusive it's been a bit elusive yeah I I can't recall in my time uh when we may

have achieved it we've pretty much been standard there have been times where uh um it was troubled um but it there's there's a few uh measurements that you have to have to hit your occupancy your financial your management there's a few more pieces to it than the uh Section 8 side of things there's more moving Parts but we're there we we were only shot by a few points on our um I believe it was our

management end this this last uh scoring um and is our aged receivables a a factor in that it it it does play into it if you don't have formal repayment agreements in in place that offset it uh it could yeah but you feel that that one that's number 11 item 11 you're referring to uh yes yes I am that there's a realistic chance we could reach that yes only based on uh

the I think it was in your packets this past spring when we got the score that we were uh standard and if you looked at the numbers we were we were close to being a high performer so I it's it's a realistic uh reach absolutely great thank you anyone else I was looking at the uh number five a lot of the phone calls or any any any Communications I have with people is it

really revolves around it says explore Innovative methods to further streamline the public housing admissions process and reduce the average applicant wait time there's a whole lot of information there but it doesn't sound like a whole lot what is the average applicant wait time right now it's hard to put a definitive time I can only tell you preco um elderly probably was 3 to 6 months

and even some of the family the larger bedrooms was a little bit longer but postco post the affordable housing drying up uh in our area um it's all of a year and the weight lists are are are growing quite a bit uh just in probably don't hold me to it without it in front of me uh it is in your management report but uh probably 68 months ago your elderly weight list was

probably 1,000 to 1100 and it's closer to, 1500 now same thing with your mix pop that's increased quite a bit um so obviously more people on the list long of the wait time more more applicants applying also yeah yeah um what we have done when someone is uh what we're exploring is when someone gets selected is to give them a twod DAT option per month what happens sometimes is somebody gets selected the beginning

of the month they just paid rent where they're currently living and now they're expected to come up with the first month uh to move into our one of our properties so we're giving them the option now of of two dates uh usually probably the beginning of the month or the middle of the month that's something I'd really like to uh explore going forward I think it's it's it's difficult and when you talk to

somebody who's in need um and you tell them the wa time is practically a year that's like that's like saying sorry we can't help you it's like they got to get they got to be housed they got to be able to get somewhere and clearly it's I mean you you have long-term employees over ATT tenant election a lot of it is most of it is not administrative or or bureaucratic there's no inventory right Housing

Authority subsidized Federal housing can't expand we're stuck in 2026 units we can't throw a couple flaw on card Madera so we can't buy a few three decad to expand inventory you have that finite and folks are not leaving right now because again it wouldn't behoove them because the private Market Market is so expensive too so you don't have you know you you're we're basically near 100% occupied and when you don't have

anywhere to match folks I mean clearly you can't overhouse and underhouse but when you have applicants come up if there is nothing in the elderly highrise to put the next three four five elderly applicants in who are at the top of the list it sits there and it stagnates also which adds to your wait time and more applicants are coming on to the back you know but we have a finite amount of

inventory also you know the other thing um just to Echo what Deputy McCoy was stating we are dependent on some thirdparty vetting so all of the applicants are vetted with an FBI inquiry that takes time you don't submit the inquiry and then get it you know a week later uh there's there's bottlenecks and all different departments that we depend on save for that um landlord references and

many of the applicants don't realize that there's a wait time for that so even though they were efficient um And Timely and getting an application in and we got it in sometimes you know we we can't just put people in without vetting them this this Quarry backgrounds as FBI backgrounds there landlord references it's just like any other landlord even though we're a public landlord we want the best

residents in our properties we don't want just just anybody coming in so understand that that slows the process as um Deputy McCoy stated there's there's just no inventory and I've said it in the past Ed mausi and his staff do an outstanding job our goal is 29 days or less but many times he flips it in 15 days you know to try to reduce that weight sometimes you can't help it if

it's more so in a family unit it was left in disrepair so um it it involves more work more trades people which again sometimes we we we go to our outside vendors and we have where we have to wait for them for their availability at times so but I also think the discussion that that I hear uh is confusing to the general public while it's confusing to me I mean have the political discussion

that we reach our 10% uh uh affordable housing in the city of for River and actually we go over it and I understand that um and there's these other communities that aren't reaching that and it's like okay where do where did that discussion end what ha what happens you just keep hearing it over and over and over and nothing seems to happen from it so I'm not sure what it

is is we can do but I think we can I think we need to clearly uh um start to communicate that whole issue and try to get it into something where people can understand that you know we can't be the Housing Authority for the state I mean that's come up 100,000 times but that's not that's not good information going to somebody who's sitting there saying I need a place to live I need to

be housed you say well you know put your hands up and say we can only do what we can do it's it's it's it's it's nasty and and especially when it comes this time of year and you see uh what what goes on and you say when it's bitterly cold and you say someone is has been forced into homelessness and you go like holy crap it's like what what do you how

would you like it if you were in that situation and you went looking to say I have no place else to go I don't have family I don't have I don't have any other resources I need help um and I know the city of Fall River I've been well aware of it we do a fantastic job with in that Arena but I think we have to expand that discussion and clearly uh

uh um uh state that to our elected officials that something needs to be done and I know they're going to but we need to clearly communicate to the public what it is that we are trying to do where do we go with all of this um because every night you hear another thing on the on the on the radio or another another thing coming in the news and homelessness and people living in

their motels and it just it makes no sense to me it just doesn't make sense to me we're in the greatest country in the world um and uh we can't seem to get our arms around this it just doesn't make doesn't make a lot of sense but I don't want to further beat this well just the the quick answer to that chairman and I thank you for that I

myself and Deputy McCoy we do take a lot of pride in trying to Enlighten people when we enter into conversation Enlighten um elected officials enlightened leaders of different uh Social Service Groups I've met with them in my office uh attorney suar and myself addressed the city council we we try to be I take a lot of pride in trying to be fully transparent educate the public educate people who don't know how it

works how the system works and I do think I think the city of Fall River it's elected officials the mayor um the council and I think the for ofer Housing Authority in this board we do do a good job and there's always room for improvement but I do think we do a good job and I know we take a lot of pride in trying to do a good job and you know our hearts bleed for these

people and and unfortunately sometimes you just the the truth people don't want to hear that yeah it is a it is a year weight and and I'm not gonna I'm not going to snowball you and give you false hope if you think you're going to get in in a month it's just that's not reality um so I think all we can do is control we can control and hope that the state because

there are state laws uh and statutes that they go after the communities that are not you know doing their share that's that's all we can hope for but the main thing is we have to control what we can control and do the best that we can at it and uh for us you know for our community and our citizens so you guys do a great job I'll just one comment you guys do a great job Fall

River does an unbelievable job I think it's an unfair burden placed on Fall River where um the state around the state they don't emphasize taking care of their they're needy like we do and what happens is uh Fall River takes on the bird for the state and regardless of where our inventory is um these aren't all homegrown people who are are in need right this is this is Fall River has

been identified as a place that does a good job taking care of people in need so everybody else is sending those in need here or or it's it's their ears to the ground and they know where they can be taken care of unfortunately it's a year I don't blame anybody here I think that is a state issue and I know there's a lot of people that um agree with us

but we we need we need um elected officials to uh have the courage to create change there Simply Having a number that isn't met and not really doing anything about that doesn't work right so it's it's it we can identify the problem it's about having the courage to uh address it and I don't think I don't see the courage I haven't seen that in Fall River in a long time everybody talks about we have too much

housing right now but all we do is is address what's going on in here and we don't do anything out there and we just kind of look the other way all the rich communities they're not meeting 10% they're all right with that the state's all right with it nothing changes more people come to Fall River in need our numbers are increasing our rooms aren't it's the same it's going to keep

happening until there's some political you know courage to make a change and I don't see it and I can I I reiterate what he's saying I think we do a fantastic job I know we do a fantastic job and and I'm not saying this to criticize this administ or any of that but I I think the communication has to come up we have to discuss this and keep it in the

Forefront we can't just say oh we just had a meeting about it okay we'll see you in six months it just doesn't make any sense to me we got to do something that's now hard and keep the keep the pressure on those who make the decisions to figure this thing out because as as commissioner stated it's it's going to grow it's going to get worse um and people are going without that probably

shouldn't go without because you know I I understand people go on to our list and as he says we do a great job so our list grows because they come here okay and oh you got to be a resident of Fall River well the minute you come here and you put your head on a pillow for one night you will now become a resident of Fall River that's that's the test I mean

I mean I don't understand that I don't see how that makes anything better um it just puts it into our bag that it's now our problem and I think that's wrong but I mean I don't want to again I don't want to beat a dead horse here I think going forward we should have further discussion about this and develop some way or maybe a subcomm I don't know but somebody that

can continue put the pressure on and give them the data and give them the numbers and say look we can't do this no more it just doesn't make any sense we're trying to hit these high performance ratings but when the floodgates are blowing over the top and you're saying well I'm trying to do this how can I do it you can't do it and then they hit you with a a bad number so oh

we've got a bad program down in Four River that's not true it's not even close that's what bugs me I it just doesn't make any sense how we're trying to reach all these high performance pieces and I think that's a great goal but when we're talking about the real issue and the real thing thing that we're doing here with the for River Housing Authority this is affordable housing this is need-based for the

residents of the city of for River and many residents who are now moving into their their older years their Golden Years um maybe the their spouse dies and they lose some income and all of a sudden it's like the house gets sold something else happens and all they can't afford the rent and they're like where do I go they ask me I I so we get an application in but we'll see what

happens when we get there and it's it's just sad it's just really bad and it's going to get worse and it's going to become more of a problem and I think it's it behooves us to uh to move in that direction and make sure that we're communicating in the clearest terms um the problems that we're facing and and we can't just talk about all this other stuff because this this stuff is very

important this administrative stuff where we're find we're we're maintaining properties and we're doing the things we need to do but but um how do you expect us to fulfill this obligation when the need just keeps blowing up and we're like where is all this coming from and and commissioner Burns is right it's coming from a lot of different places because we do do a great job oh send them down there well

they'll take care of you and and anybody who says that that's not happening is lying it is happening so um when I looked at this and went over this uh it was something that bothers me and I think the conversation has to continue so with that I'll just yield anybody else got anything to say deputy were you did you want to say anything well I I again I didn't I

didn't I I I didn't want to um it's an important discussion um I didn't want to um needlessly add on but since you know we're we're we're making some clarifications on the fact that you know a Housing Authority not to get back but I mean so many of the federally subsidized housing authorities started after the early the wars and for veterans and whatnot family family housing just to not go through

the history of it but to fast forward not only is the inventory I'm kind of staying in the same vein because we went from our internal processes and procedures where you know when tenant selection gets a valuated by the state's version of of hard eh LLC or olc um you know they're always recognize as doing quite well especially for the size of our Authority you know and a lot of that

is from long-term employees you know your director of Section 8 has been here 40 years director of tenant selection's been here 40 years but the the the when we just kind of when the conversation morphed into what's going on Citywide and God forbid you know the folks who are intents and and whatnot the the other issue which I think people have lost sight of with again a a ferally you know Assisted Living federally

subsidized low-income housing not only do we have a finite of inventory it's not like we expand like some sort of a private property developer we're also not um designed to be like emergency shelter type access we don't have 10 or 15 units that just kind of sit on the side for when all of a sudden local homelessness increases you know it's not it's not a nonprofit type organization or your faith-based charity

organizations or your overnight shelters that can that can open open up and whatnot the F folks are on a folks are on a it's it's a highly regulated application process the EM the emergency factors that are in place are typically folks with displaced by no fault of their own you know flood fire building condemnation like and we just had some calls this week because of the recent fire on Cho Street those folks we will

be put into an emergency status um and get to a top of the list quicker you know and then you have some um uh your normal preferences your your your your you're right the local preferences and priorities get the most points on an application domestic violence is an Al also another um not quite the emergency status let's say of flood and fire but where you have increased uh um uh increase importance

to your application for lack lack of a better a better term but we we're not you're not an agency you know you have a highly regulated as the as the Director said a highly regulated admission process just in the same way if we all owned multifamilies the Corey checks the income verifications the landlord references and this process takes a while and you you have that finite amount of inventory it's not like we're

a designed organiz and by the way excuse me the people folks are put in are put into you know they're put into a a lease agreement I mean essentially we're a giant landlord um but we don't have that capability to the to go out and and go to those overnight shelters and say okay we have units available so our uh Trad traditional Mission uh and and traditional spot in the in the community

in the municipality has always been for that that lowincome applicant and elderly applicant where you know they you you begin a process and and hopefully within in the old days six months or in a year you can gain accessibility to this assisted affordable housing um we we we don't have that ability to triage the the most vulnerable uh maybe on the River Rail Trail or whatnot that

that's not it's it's not something that we're even allowed to do you know to take a Ving unit and put someone in there that God forbid is just in a brutal situation you know um it's just we're not really designed and and and nowadays that is that it that's the majority of the calls I get nowadays and I'm sure the director the same way and anybody else who you know you have

Advocates working with um with with homeless folks and and and the most vulnerable members of our population and they'll call we'll have local politicians and uh uh that will call and and folks won't really don't really realize that we're not an emergency shelter unfortunately it's it's very hard for us to make any sort of a dent in a current increase in homelessness you know however again there are as as

the the rest of the conversation that's come to light here yeah it's a absolutely it's it's it's clear that that a lot of other communities haven't met their obligation while Fall River has probably always been at 27 to 30% with with assisting in low low income housing low-income rents and then you have obviously nowadays we have some Market considerations and whatnot with the train coming and new development and

whatnot but um I I guess it's important to let folks know that we're not equipped to be an emergency shelter system and that's something that also unfortunately is you know it is what it is but it's a highly regulatory agency and I and I I understand that and I didn't want to get into this whole discussion I mean this is something that we should discuss going forward this is

really not an agenda item um uh so I I understand everything you're saying um and I agree with you so but we have to move on so anybody else got anything to say okay we going on to the next piece new business new business under

modernization this it sorry this one this is the one you want modernization right so a certificate of in completion for the Consolidated roof replacement at Sunset Hill uh I guess that's a unit number 61 uh General recommended actions yeah it's general contract of letting construction company has completed all work final contract was $849,900 approval of the closeout document is hereby

recommended one and we also have permission to advertise for the envelope improvements we got to get a vote on the first first one make a motion to approve the uh certificate of completion Consolidated for for the roof replacement at Sunset Hill second any discussion all those in favor I I opposed we also have permission to advertise for the envelope improvements on the North elevation of the aliver

department I'll make a motion to approve for permission to advertise for envelope improvements North elevation Olive a appointments second any discussion all those in favor I

opposed okay procurement Security Guard Services for the Duan Apartments Jo Bishop ID uh recommended action is award two-year contract to the low bidder signal of South Coast in the amount not to exceed $5,542 I'll make a motion uh to award a 2-year contract to the low bidder signal of South Coast in an amount not to exceed 125,000 $541 for security guard services for duelan apartments and core B Bishop e departments

second discussion all those in favor I

opposed some miscellaneous items for Housing Authority the FY 2025 2026 annual plan and 5year plan certificate certifications for submission to HUD along with the eoh l C it's going to take me a while to get used to that formally the dhcd uh fiscal year 2026 annual plan for submission to EO LC I have a motion motion to approve for submission second any discussion all those in favor all

opposed we have waivers for the units 29b 50 B 35a at Maple Gardens for the laundry rooms and Tra transitional housing program offers for up to three

years a motion motion to approve the waivers second any discussion what is the what is the waiver for do we know so just recently you approved the waivers so we uh converted two apartments to laundry rooms because there are no laundry facilities at Maple Gardens and one apartment to office for the um thp program so now eohc with board approval will allow a waiver for up to three years rather than do it every

year um so it requires a board vote for them to approve it thank you you all those in favor I opposed election of offices for County of 2025 do so if I could just add if everybody is happy in the positions that they currently hold I believe attorney Souza can they just make a motion and a vote as a slate and keep everything rather than going individual one other commissioners can make a motion to um

have the Slate remain the same with the same offices being held the same offices being held by the same individuals or Commissioners thank unless you're coming for me are you coming for me I might be coming is that what you don't push me the Eagle's already going you I uh I'll make a motion to keep the offices the same as the past year second discussion all those in favor I I

opposed thank you very much can we say for the record what the off for the just for the record who are the officers for the current year I mean I know it but um you want to just the chairman is Sten long Vice chairman is David underill secretary treas I'm sorry Treasurer Burns Jason Burns thank you

I stipulated on the agenda we uh have a piece of going into executive session for Union negotiations for units B and C uh we anticipated the executive session pursuant to mgl chapter 38 section 21 A3 to discuss strategies with respect to collective bargaining for or litigation if any and open meetings may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigation position of the

public body and the chair so declares as the chairman I will State for the record that if a discussion relative to the recent collective bargaining activity is taken up in open session it will have a detrimental effect on the negotiation position of the foral housing auor do I have a motion this matter to put this matter into executive session I will make a motion to go into executive session second

discussion um before we go in that do we have to say we're going to we're going to adjourn was a motion to adjourn an executive session while does that have to be included in this yes or after we we could do it right now before we get to putting going into Executives taking that vote um when we go into executive session I'll take a motion to uh uh journ um from executive session adjourn

the meeting at at the conclusion of the executive session do I have a motion motion so adjourn an executive session second all those in favor all those opposed do we have well we have we do have a motion already on to go into executive session all those in favor of going into executive session i i i opposed thank you Mr chairman we're going to Executive session thank you