by eila in Accessibility, Civic Action, Civil and Human Rights, Development and Zoning, Government Reform, Housing, Public Records / FOIA Requests
Posted on September 16, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Last Modified on October 1, 2011 at 6:00 pm
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The City of Somerville updated its “Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing” (known as the “AI”) between November 2009 and April, 2010 (although, the published report is dated December 2009, and the final report is digitally dated 8/26/11).
Today, a FOIA request was lodged via MuckRock to learn how four local nonprofits that are influential and instrumental in pushing affordable housing development to completion in Somerville, responded to that 2009 AI questionnaire.
Since 2006, this writer, a former Chair of the Disability Commission and founder of the Community Access Project, has been assertive in pushing the City of Somerville to update its Analysis of Impediments report (for instance, see page 3 of “Four Matters of Assets & Equity…”).
CAP’s response to Somerville’s 2009 AI questionnaire (our answers are in blue) and HUD’s Memorandum dated February 2007 emphasize the need to competently evaluate the housing needs of populations disproportionately experiencing poverty, substandard housing conditions, and eligible for wider housing opportunities in all aspects of public and private housing markets.
Unfortunately, the City’s current AI continues to imply that channeling the class known as “persons with disAbilities” into public housing is an acceptable and appropriate practice, considering the structural challenges of Somerville’s old housing stock. (see page 33)
The Community Access Project members have spent hundreds of volunteer hours researching, surveying and documenting the city’s development of affordable housing units over the past several years. Our final reports will be shared with the community.
above photo: The sidewalk and entrances were completely inaccessible and unusable during the City of Somerville’s Inclusionary Housing Programs Open House for six (6) affordable homeownership opportunities at 80 Webster Avenue, June 2009.
above photo: the only accessible entrance ramp and newly poured sidewalk for the City’s six (6) Inclusionary and Affordable Housing opportunities, at 80 Webster Ave., were not completed until September 2009- three full months after the Information, Application, and Open House events were held.
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UPDATE, October 1, 2011:
The City of Somerville’s Housing Division responded promptly to this request with notes from 2 interviews, one with SCC, and one with Somerville Cambridge Legal Services. Although they state that the notes contain “redactions,” the responsive documents do not give any indication regarding where or what types of redactions were made.
MuckRock has published the response containing the sparse notes from these two organizational in-person interviews online at http://www.muckrock.com/foi/view/somerville-ma/affirmative-housing-information-responsive-to-city-2009-questionnaire/822/
The responses show that these two organizations are interested in immigrant and mental health housing needs and rights; however, there is no indication that either organization is aware of the housing needs and fair housing rights of individuals and families with sensory and physical disabilities.
The Housing staff person who conducted these interviews, Emmanuel Owusu, had informed CAPS via a September 15, 2011 email that the Somerville Housing Authority and the Community Action Agency of Somerville had sent back written responses to that AI Questionnaire.
However, the City’s FOIA response of September 29 acknowledges that neither the Somerville Housing Authority nor the Community Action Agency of Somerville ever responded to the AI Questionnaire in any form.
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Somerville Homeless Coalition is an outrageous bogus farce. They violate Fair Housing, Civil Rights and Americans With Disabilties Act laws and appear to be presenting themselves in a certain manner that isn’t the reality, to HUD and the many donors they have, resulting in many donors and lots of $$ coming in. Presenting themselves as an organization that helps people and runs a clean and sober program. What they do is rent overpriced apartments owned by the same sleazy connected couple of landlords. Their “clean and sober” program is anything but. The apartments they house people in have loads of serious housing code violations. They protect the same few sleazy landlords rather than the rights of their clients or the relevant laws, and they have been doing this for like 20 plus years. Ask their clients, not the few that will say something good about them, but the many who are abused. What do I know from people I’ve met who are their clients? Drug and alcohol abuse, housing code violations that are unlawful, conditions that nobody should have to tolerate, disabled people being denied what the law says anyone is entitled to, lots of double-talk and calculated nonsense. How is this allowed to continue? HUD and their corporate and private donors would think twice if they knew the realities. Where’s the money going? To the same few sleazy landlords (like the one who owns half the rental property in Somerville and basically owns Town Hall and the cops). At whose expense? Their disadvantaged clients. This is an outrage that should be cleaned up. OK, they help some with shelter and a food pantry, but the other side is they rent apartments at inflated apartments that nobody that isn’t disadvantaged would live in, benefitting their sleazy few same “connected” landlords they work with (and themselves?), look the other way re drug and alcohol use while claiming to be a clean and sober program, take public and private money while presenting a public face that doesn’t reflect the realities I hear about from their clients and it’s been that way for many many years. Lots of questionable and seemingly illegal goings-on.
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