SWAMPSCOTT — The town’s Housing Authority is defending its decision not to apply for a technical-assistance grant from the state earlier this month, saying that the group did not have the resources to complete the application and that they were told they most likely would not receive funding if they did apply.
The grant, for which the application was due July 9, would have given the Housing Authority the funds to develop a plan for the rehabilitation and redevelopment of its current units, with the opportunity to apply for further funding in the next phases of construction.
“It was brought to the attention of the board two weeks before the deadline, so very short notice,” said Executive Director Irma Chez in an interview. “The capability here is very limited. We’re not Lynn Housing, we’re not Somerville or Boston … The board needed to be more prepared and aware of the process.”
At a Select Board meeting Wednesday, board members criticized the Housing Authority for not completing the application. Board Chair Peter Spellios said that town employees had offered their time and resources to help the Housing Authority complete the application and had actually finished much of it, but were missing some information from the Housing Authority.
“I struggle to understand, if not now, when are we going to start the multi-year, really complicated process of investing to figure out the answer?” Spellios said. “This was a technical assistance grant. This wasn’t the answer, this was to help you all support your efforts here … saying we’ll do it next year just seems empty.”
However, Housing Authority Chair Richard Callahan explained that the group had been told by a state official that it was unlikely they would be accepted into the grant program. Callahan declined to identify the person who had said this.
Spellios, however, did not accept this argument, saying that the authority still should have applied for the grant.
“Even though they said it’s unlikely, it’s certain if you don’t file the application that you will not get anything,” Spellios said.
While both the Select Board and Housing Authority agreed that the properties need redevelopment, in part because they are not accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Chez defended her work at the Housing Authority. She said that despite only working part-time and having started in her position last year, she has accomplished a lot of improvements at the authority’s aging properties, including acquiring funding to replace the heating and air conditioning systems at Duncan Terrace, installing new lighting at all of the properties and hiring a resident-services coordinator, who will start next month.
However, she said, it was difficult for the authority to do much with its limited resources. She said that currently, only she and one maintenance worker do most of the work at the properties, and she recently had to contract a landscaping company to pick up some of the slack, meaning that she had to find other budget areas to cut back in.
“The town feels like we should go to them for everything we do here. We’re not part of the town,” Chez told the Item. “If the town really cares, they should roll up their sleeves and help.”
In the Select Board meeting, the Housing Authority’s tenant representative Cynthia Tennant echoed this sentiment, saying that in the 60 years since the Housing Authority was started, its properties have not been adequately maintained, but that Chez has started the process of fixing that problem since she joined.
“The frustration stems from the fact that in the two years that Irma and this board has been operating, we haven’t come all the way out of the woods yet, but we’re on the way,” Tenant said. “If you guys had been really as concerned about this as you appear to be right this moment, where were you 20 years ago? Where were you ten years ago? Where were you five years ago?”
Select Board members said that they would be happy to help the Housing Authority, but that they had to be approached for assistance first, and that attempts in the past to establish communication with the Housing Authority’s board had failed. Select Board Vice Chair Polly Titcomb said that last year, she had been designated the board’s liaison to the Housing Authority, but that when she attempted to reach out, she was told repeatedly that she would have to come to one of the Housing Authority’s meetings if she had something to say.
“Frankly, I’m assuming that if you guys are sitting on a board and nothing is getting done, that can’t feel rewarding,” Spellios said. “How can we help it be rewarding and help you guys actually do something?”
