Safe, decent, and fair housing is non-existent along Martha Drive and Hannah Way in Rockland, Massachusetts. There are no words to fully describe the disturbing and chaotic living conditions on this violently offensive, tax-credited property, mismanaged by various corporate partnerships through Boston Capital and numerous U.S. government agencies. There is no excuse, whatsoever, why the violent disturbances, fights, drunkenness, and drug parties continue to be allowed and financed with our tax dollars! It's not only unhealthy for children to be raised in such an environment, it's also severely distressing for disabled and elderly residents who need to live civilized and peacefully.
It's not uncommon to pass a staggering drunkard in one of the common areas of this nuisance housing complex or to hear groups of 8 and 9-year-old children slamming doors, yelling, and stomping through hallways that echo at 9 and 10 o'clock at night while parents party away in their subsidized apartments. It's not even unusual to hear vulgar language from a 4-year-old child shouting out in common areas to their grandparents or other elders, "Fuck you, bitch!" No, it's not uncommon at all; it's a regular pattern in an impoverished resident's life.
In buildings such as 160A and 187 Martha Drive, 45D and 86 Hannah Way, it's not uncommon for select residents to be overhoused at Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments. It's almost an every day occurrence to hear at least one violent domestic disturbance from multiple buildings. Select tenants are being allowed to continually disrupt this community! Civilized tenants, who can't afford another place to reside, are held captive by fights, blasting bass beats and loud music, drug parties, and violent disturbances at all hours of the night. And, don't you just love it when those motorcycles ride behind the residential buildings and in the backyards where children play?
Security cameras and security guards are next to useless in getting management to deal effectively with the ongoing chaos. Why? Why do these corporate landlords and corporate managers support this turmoil and have no effective resolutions? Why do they tend to retaliate and encourage harassments toward low-income tenants who report such violations? Why do they allow unstable, drunken tenants to gain access to other tenants' confidential and financial information? Why is this nuisance property receiving tax credits? Could it really be that a Boston Capital executive was once working for our United States government and helped to create the rules on low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC), rules they continue to be in non-compliance of, yet benefit from?
It doesn't look like HUD, SMOC, Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Rockland Board of Selectmen, Rep. Maxine Waters and other career politicians really want to help lift these people out of poverty when these disturbing behaviors and lease violations are allowed to continue on this property. Bad tenants need to shape up or ship out. Politicians, who collect a paycheck from our tax dollars, certainly DO approve of this illegal behavior from residents, live-ins, and management companies when they continue to grant such landlords tax credits and other government funds. How dare these numerous government agencies not hold these limited partnerships like First Hartford Corp., Mr. Wm. M. Connolly, Neil H. Ellis, Cornerstone Corp., Boston Capital, etc. etc. accountable for mismanaging such properties and violating occupancy agreements and fair housing laws! It's been going on for too many years now.
Taxpayers have been indirectly supporting fraud, waste, abuse, derelicts, partiers, and irresponsible corporations for way too many years. Voters and citizens need to contact politicians and government agencies to demand these management companies, partnerships, and corporations be held FULLY ACCOUNTABLE for running such nuisance properties on taxpayer funds. Let them know you are against government agencies granting funds and tax credits to mismanaged places like Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apts., when NO ONE is being held ACCOUNTABLE for compliance with laws and occupancy agreements.
Please contact the following people, corporations, and gov't agencies to voice your concerns and disapproval of government and taxpayer funding of nuisance properties like the one in Rockland, Massachusetts. Let them know you expect higher standards, fair housing enforcements, lease compliance, and better use of your tax dollars than to fund nuisance, noisy, and drunken properties like Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments!
1. South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. (SMOC)
7 Bishop Street, Framingham, MA 01702 - Twitter Account: @SMOCMA
Tel: 508-872-4853 or 508-620-2335
2. Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing, Housing Urban Development (HUD)
Twitter Account: @RealDrBenCarson
3. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building
10 Causeway Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02222-1092
Tel: 617-994-8200 / Fax: 617-565-6558 / TTY: 617-565-5453
4. Department Housing and Community Development
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02114
Tel: 617-573-1100 Listen for phone menu options for DHCD divisions
TTY: 617-573-1140
5. Boston Capital, Mr. John P. Manning, Co-founder
One Boston Place, Suite 2100, Boston, MA 02108-4406 Tel: 617-624-8900
6. U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: 202-224-3121 / TTY: 202-225-1904
BAD LANDLORDS IN FEDERAL HOUSING COMPLAINTS
Hundreds of landlords have been fined and/or debarred from doing business with the federal government as a result of failing to provide safe and decent housing for the poor, while enriching themselves on taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Tenants have been forced to live in terrible housing, and neighborhoods have suffered from housing eyesores. HUD calls this a double crime: one against both tenants and taxpayers.
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Rockland’s elected officials and how to reach them
Selectmen: Vice-Chairman Deborah A. O’Brien, Lawrence J. Chaffee, Chairman Edward F. Kimball, Michael Johnson, Larry Ryan, 781-871-1874 ext. 100
