A Notice on Common Sense

FIRE SAFETY ALERT

• Residents are asked to use some caution and common sense when it comes to landscaping mulch.
• Be aware of this fire safety issue.
• Smokers, discard your smoking materials properly.

Just this week, the above notice was posted on the outside entrance door of each building at Spring Gate Apartments by FHRC Management.
     Considering all the major safety issues that need addressing at this subsidized housing complex in Rockland this notice is almost laughable.  At Rockland Place / Spring Gate, people fire guns, workers torch buildings, live-ins get high and commit extreme acts of violence, and unsupervised children set fires.  These are some of the same people this property manager expects to use caution and common sense when it comes to discarding lit cigarettes into landscaping mulch. Makes me wonder where Management's common sense disappearred to.... Perhaps it's under all of their mulch?
     Oh yes, Management's fire safety alert notice reminds me of Chapter 186, Section 21 of the Massachusetts General Laws. It's just another law Rockland Place dba Spring Gate violates. This particular law reads: The landlord or lessor of any residential or commercial property, upon the written request of any tenant or lawful occupant, of any code or other law enforcement official or of any official of the municipality in which the property is situated, shall disclose in writing within fifteen days of such request the name of the company insuring the property against loss or damage by fire and the amount of insurance provided by each such company and the name of any person who would receive payment for a loss covered by such insurance. Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars. A waiver of this section in any lease or other rental agreement shall be void and unenforceable.
     Considering this corporate landlord hasn't had to comply to their annual lease agreement while receiving subsidies and housing tax credits, I'll just bet they're shaking in their boots!

The Wonderful Web They Weave

....It’s not enough to simply proclaim that Justice officials will do the right thing.  You need to know that they are making decisions that don’t have ethical entanglements. He argued that conflicts arise “when a private lawyer enters government service and a matter comes before him affecting his former law firm or its clients.”.... 
     This is only a portion of an editorial I just read on the Forbes website. I am convinced 'ethical entanglements' and 'political favors' are a large part of why some corporate managers and partners of HUD housing complexes, including those at Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apts., have been allowed to violate people, laws, and The Fair Housing Act. 
The editorial was written by Peter Schweizern and published on May 7, 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/05/07/obamas-doj-and-wall-street-too-big-for-jail/

AFFORDABLE HOUSING REWARDS

Robert Covelle, the embattled executive director of the Medford Housing Authority, is leaving his post a year after officials began to investigate allegations of favoritism in hiring and contracting under his leadership. Some of the allegations include:  attempts to get jobs and subsidized housing for insiders, the disappearance of thousands of dollars worth of salvaged copper from a housing authority demolition site, and allowing the hiring of a maintenance worker who had previously been convicted of a sex crime. In addition, federal inspectors from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development concluded last month that the agency under Covelle’s stewardship paid $1.3 million to a dozen contractors without following federal contracting rules. For more go to: http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/05/16/embattled-medford-housing-chief-robert-covelle-resigning/gXlUFaWQJEWPiSiZ9HdgSM/story.html?p1=News_links  

Patterns of Nuisance Properties

     I felt disgusted to read of another poorly run subsidized housing complex in Massachusetts where concerned tenants continue to be treated with contempt and disrespect by property management.  Lincoln Village Apartments, located at 134 Country Club Blvd, Worcester, MA 01605, is another housing complex mismanaged by Cornerstone Corporation.  The listed phone for Lincoln Village is 508-853-9880.

     Most of their ongoing complaints remind me of life at Rockland Place dba Spring Gate Apartments in Rockland, MA which is, and has been, mismanaged by negligent and abusive people from Cornerstone Corporation.  All the while, MassHousing and HUD continue granting non-compliant property owners undeserved rent increases; therefore, rewarding mismanagement and contributing to many long-standing nuisance properties.  Perhaps decent tenants at Lincoln Village would like to submit photographs and/or video of these non-compliance issues to this blog for publication?  Due to the likelihood of retaliation, names and email addresses of contributors will not be published.  

     "I moved to Lincoln Village 7 years ago. They said they very rarely go up on rent. THEY LIE. The rent increases never go to anything useful, maintenance is never improved and they DO need to get rid of Barbara who always is impatient, makes it sound like you are a bother and is ready to hang up on you. To get anything fixed you have to call forever. Tenants are allowed to keep breaking rules such as dogs without leashes, rowdy noisy neighbors, illegal parking, etc, and we should be able to count on things being enforced here. The only thing LV responds to is anything involving money. That's all they care about, it's frustrating. Management, maintenance and security all suck, but I really don't have any other place to go with my 3 kids. I have notified security and the Worcester Police that work here that my neighbors use and; sell drugs and; showed them the evidence outside my door and; nothing is done. This place needs to be cleaned up and run properly."    Read more at: http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/MA-Worcester-Lincoln-Village-Apartments-1340419.html

MATURING MORTGAGE thru 2021

     Today, I discovered two different listings for Spring Gate Apts.  One is in Florida and the other is in Massachusetts.  The phone number for Spring Gate Apts. on 1500 Springate Drive in Panama City, FL is (850) 763-6938.
     The phone number listed for Spring Gate Apts. on Hannah Way and Martha Drive in Rockland, MA is (877) 844-3819.   According to a HUD document, the Spring Gate in Massachusetts is where the subsidized mortgage will mature thru 2021.
     What will become of Rockland's Spring Gate Apartments in just nine more years?  Will there be another DHCD or HUD billion dollar pot of gold waiting for new partners and corporate investors?  Will the owners and management still secretly provide unfair housing for low-income tenants?
     In 2021, perhaps 'Spring Gate' will change its name back to 'Rockland Place Apartments'.  Another alternative might be 'Connolly's Cornerstoned Condominiums'.  Maybe there will finally be genuine flowers planted at the 'Spring Gate' entrance sign by the time 2021 comes around.  Real flowers would smell a whole lot better than those airbrushed ones displayed in those deceptive Spring Gate Apartment advertisements.
     As 'Spring Gate' residents anticipate their usual annual "affordable unto perpetuity" rent increase for 2012, perhaps William Connolly, Neil Ellis, MassHousing, and HUD will finally provide them safe, decent housing.  I don't believe housing is safe or decent when substance abusers and child pornographers are allowed to frequent the subsidized, multifamily housing complex.  Do you?  Whatever happened to those promised security cameras?   Maybe they'll figure it out when the mortgage matures thru 2021.
*http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=DOC_35177.pdf

Our Corporate Government

    It appears corporations are controlling our American government. Corruption becomes more apparent while living inside housing complexes like Rockland Place Apts. or Spring Gate, where corporate landlords go unpunished for repeatedly violating vulnerable citizens.
     State and Federal laws are meant to protect Americans.... But do they?  Corporations are manipulating courts and government agencies whether we like it or not.  Even when corporations are known for deceptive business practices and commit acts of fraud, our government continues doing business with them while using tax dollars from its citizens.
     As a resident of Rockland Place and Spring Gate Apts., you may be denied a trial at Brockton Housing Court.  More corporations are gaining control of our legal system through coerced mediation proceedings.  For very good reasons, this should never be allowed in the USA.  Companies and partnerships really do appear to have more rights and more power than individuals do in 2012.   Should our government be hiring outside contractors to do the work of public servants?  Please take time to explore the links listed below.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWqZNjKRqJ8&feature=related
2. http://www.youtube.com/user/RutherfordInstitute?feature=watch
3. http://www.corporationwiki.com/Massachusetts/Boston/william-connolly/72181926.aspx

     The third link ties one of the limited partners of Rockland Place to various corporations and political campaign contributions.  However, Rockland Place dba Spring Gate has numerous investors, shareholders, and partners.  Though they say otherwise, this housing community is known for supporting various illegal activities.

People Used as Corporate Cash Cows

Seeking help but finding a scam in sober homes
Great reporting by Patricia Wen!  This interesting Boston Globe article reminds me of some of the fraud taking place at Rockland Place Apartments in Rockland, Mass.
http://articles.boston.com/2012-04-01/metro/31266777_1_sober-homes-lab-executives-drug-testing

Police to Spring Gate (Rockland Place Apts.)

March 16, 2012
 9:00 pm, ongoing neighbor dispute at 120 Martha Drive
March 17, 2012
 5:40 pm, fight on Martha Drive
 6:35pm, threats and more fighting at 93 Martha Drive
March 18, 2012
 6:15 pm, domestic at 187 Martha Drive
March 19, 2012
 8:50 pm, report of apartment damage at 210B Martha Drive
10:20 pm, domestic at 91 Martha Drive
March 20, 2012
 4:30 pm, fire in woods by 120 Martha Drive
 4:45 pm, harassment call on Martha Drive
 9:45 pm, disturbance in parking lot on Martha Drive
March 27, 2012
 2:30 pm, arrest on Martha Drive

No Right To Know

For Massachusetts citizens with no extra spending money, you may have no right to know updated laws and regulations!  The Code of Massachusetts Regulations is not available for free on the Internet. Massachusetts is the only state in the United States that charges for online access to its own state administrative code. Though a number of Massachusetts state agencies post their regulations on their agency’s website, they make no guarantee that they are official or up to date.