Josh Kraft calls out ‘heartbreaking' conditions at Boston Housing Authority
Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft criticized the Boston Housing Authority's handling of maintenance issues at its public housing properties during a press conference Wednesday.
Kraft called out a February report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in which inspectors found numerous issues throughout Housing Authority properties. During an appearance at the Authority's Mildred C. Hailey development in Jamaica Plain Wednesday morning, Kraft, the former head of the Boys and Girls Club of Boston and the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, called the report 'heartbreaking.'
'What is safe or healthy about broken or missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? About electrical hazards or blocked exits?' he said. 'What is dignified about seniors and disabled residents having to climb seven flights of stairs because the elevators in their building do not work?'
HUD auditors inspected a sample of 36 units across the BHA system and found 113 'deficiencies,' of which 37 had been present at the time of HUD's last inspection and 18 were categorized as 'life-threatening.' In addition, a survey of 24 BHA buildings found 105 deficiencies in common areas, exteriors, mechanical systems and sites, of which 18 had been present at the last inspection and 31 were life-threatening.
Read more: Boston mayor, challenger clash over affordable housing policies
The report also found that the BHA had largely failed to respond to maintenance issues in a timely manner, due in large part to a lack of staffing and of oversight of its own inspections, along with a backlog of work orders.
In a written response to HUD's findings included in the report, BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok acknowledged that 'there are opportunities for operational improvements and additional quality control' and said the Authority was already working to establish new protocols to address those improvements.
Bok explained that because HUD relaxed its inspection requirements for public housing authorities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when the BHA resumed inspections, it had a major backlog of both work orders and outstanding unit inspections to address.
At the same time, according to the report, staffing shortages and COVID infections meant the Authority did not have the resources available to conduct inspections and repairs. Although the agency hired a contractor to help with the inspections, the contractor also experienced delays due to COVID infections among its staff and ultimately withdrew from the contract.
On Wednesday, Kraft said he thinks Mayor Michelle Wu cares about issues at BHA housing, but said he questioned if she had the 'management skills' to fix them.
'I've seen up close what housing instability does to a family. You're living in a suitcase. Kids get pulled out of schools,' he said. 'It's not only undignified, it's heartbreaking, and it should never be allowed to happen in a city like Boston.'
Multiple BHA properties are currently undergoing significant redevelopment or modernization projects, including its two largest properties, the Mary Ellen McCormack and Charlestown developments.
Like other public housing authorities, the BHA gets a significant amount of funds from the federal government. However, as the Trump administration slashes funding across the country, public housing has experienced reductions.
Last month, the BHA began sending out letters to landlords of tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers — which are administered by the housing authority — asking them not to raise rents for the next year, citing cuts to the housing assistance program, according to the Boston Globe.
Read more: Mass. rental voucher program falls short for many low-income tenants
On Wednesday, Kraft acknowledged that the BHA has limited funds to cover the extensive upgrades its properties need. However, he said the city should better prioritize its own money to cover some of those costs, giving the multimillion dollar White Stadium redevelopment as an example of something that Boston is putting too many resources toward.
'There are definitely some places we would need to look and look hard and find savings,' he said. 'But I do know this: I managed multimillion dollar budgets as CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, and when pressed, you can always find savings.'
In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the mayor's office directed MassLive to Wu's campaign team, who did not immediately respond Wednesday afternoon.
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