SWAMPSCOTT ― Housing Authority Executive Director Irma Chez describes herself as a person with a “heart of service.”
Her passion for public housing, dedication to her residents and the tangible results of her work have resulted in her being named Essex Media Group’s “Person of the Year” for Swampscott.
Chez has four employees, but as a director of a small housing authority (SHA), she handles anything from human relations and accounting to managing big projects to discipline among staff. She credits prioritizing communication and customer service for achieving good results during her fewer than two years in Swampscott.
“Sometimes, people in public housing are judged too rapidly without anyone sitting down and talking to them (about) what the problem is,” said Chez.
Chez talks to her residents to understand what they need, rationalize a hard situation or try to give them advice. She has helped individuals with medical insurance, parenting skills, resumes and job interviews — all of which are technically outside of her SHA director responsibilities.
“Tenants know that my door is open. I return calls. They can talk to me about anything,” Chez said.
Chez preaches the same customer-service approach to her employees. She told her employees, “I want you to see them as if they are paying $3,000 for rent.”
Chez was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Despite her father, Idabel Avalos, being a renowned singer in Guatemala, Chez’s parents were looking for stable job opportunities, and decided to move their family of five to the U.S.
Chez has been living in Lynn for the last 33 years and is a 1996 graduate of Lynn Classical High School.
In her early teenage years, Chez started working as a cashier at Walgreens on Union Street in Lynn. She then took an open bank-teller position at Eastern Bank and, within a year, was promoted to account representative.
Her work ethic, people skills and bilingualism, Chez said, landed her a job at the Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND), where a friend told her that she would become a good property manager one day.
“I took those words and left to work for the private sector,” said Chez.
Working for such companies as Laramar, Aimco and Sawyer Realty Holdings, Chez grew to a senior manager, overseeing commercial, Section 8 and tax-credit market properties both on the North Shore and in Boston.
One day, Chez saw an ad for an executive director position at the SHA that provides public housing to families and the elderly on Burrill Street, Doherty Circle and Cherry Street. She decided to interview for it, despite the fact that she would have to take a significant pay cut as the Housing Authority was only able to hire her for a part-time position.
“I really wanted to come back to public housing,” Chez said. “I understand public housing because my parents have been living in Lynn elderly housing for 15 years.”
Chez started the job in March 2020. She brought to her work at SHA ideas from the private sector: She renegotiated contracts with third parties, minimized the spending unless it was necessary and worked with the budget to afford landscaping and cleaning of the property.
Within a year and a half of working for SHA, Chez secured a $40,000 grant for a resident services coordinator position, rebuilt partnerships between SHA and the Swampscott Police Department, procured window fans via a donation from The Home Depot and obtained about $1.7 million of LEAN program funds for new boilers, air-heat pumps, tankless water heaters, insulation and LED lighting.
In March 2021, Chez reached out to state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) and Executive Director of LHAND Charles Gaeta for assistance with COVID-19 vaccines for SHA elderly residents since the shots were not available in Swampscott. As a result, the City of Lynn provided appointments both for SHA elderly and other elderly residents of Swampscott.
Her initiative has put SHA on the radar of local organizations interested in partnerships and gained SHA a good reputation among small housing authorities in the area, Chez said.
“I just love what I do and I am always thinking how to get this done and I am always networking,” said Chez. “And I get it done.”
She and her staff organized Halloween celebrations and a holiday party this year, inviting both families and elderly residents to participate.
“That sense of community among the residents is what fulfills my heart,” said Chez. “My residents feel part of the community and part of each other’s lives.”
Despite a lot of achievements, Chez said, there is still more work to do. SHA properties were built in the late 1960s. They have never been renovated and are in need of more new hot-water tanks and boilers, new siding for the family site, new windows and floors, walk-in showers for the elderly, plumbing repairs and pavement improvement.
“Just being here makes me happy. I know I made the right choice,” said Chez. “I like lifting people up.”
