Elizabeth Dray of Jason Street, submitted this letter.
Recently, a Menotomy Manor resident emailed me and said: “Change has to be done down here. It’s not right what we are going through. I’m just fed up with it. There is no reason it is like this other than [the Housing Authority board] not caring and just wanting our [rent] check …. They want our rent on time and we want a good, working place to live.” The resident wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of retribution for speaking publicly.
Reading AHA meeting minutes for the last six months of 2020 (2021 minutes are not posted) reveal health code violations and residents pleading for help with infestations of bed bugs, cockroaches “everywhere” and mice. One resident said that the Board of Health judged her apartment as “unsafe to live there” and it is “beyond disgusting and no one is doing anything.”
In Cusack Terrace there were reports of unheeded maintenance problems, closed garbage shoots and lack of hand sanitizer near the elevators during Covid. At the March meeting, the director said it was not his job to inform low-income residents at Menotomy Manor that they were eligible for the Covid vaccine. AHA meeting participants have been yelled at and denigrated, even called “rude and obnoxious.”
Personally, I have heard many Menotomy Manor residents ask for help at Housing Authority meetings. Instead of being listened to, they are ignored and dismissed. Instead of being thanked for bringing forward their concerns, they are publicly denigrated, even sworn at. Yes, in public meetings.
Where are the recordings of these meetings? According to a Jan. 5, 2021, email to me from Executive Director John Griffin, “they get deleted.”
Until recently, the AHA routinely violated Open Meeting Law. The League of Women Voters concurs. After completing its five-year study, one of its many recommendations is “Adherence to the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.”
Now back to Menotomy Manor. Another email I received from a Menotomy Manor resident said: “They don’t like to fix anything, our bathrooms flood … it leaks into the kitchen light fixture and ruins the ceiling.”
They are not alone. I spoke to a resident who lived for months with a HUGE hole in the family’s kitchen ceiling from unfixed leaks. They showed me photos.
They repeatedly brought this issue forward at board meetings and were dismissed. Finally, they were allowed to move into an empty apartment but had to pay for help moving themselves.
During the March meeting, a board member who lives at Menotomy Manor related her own recent experience with her toilet flooding into her kitchen and having spaces between the door and floor that let in cold air. She shared that there were 3 inches of toilet water in her kitchen and her ceiling is now wrinkled and patched. She reported that the technician told her that the same thing had happened last year and was likely to happen again because there is an issue with the plastic belt in the toilets.
The board member urged for a study to be done at Menotomy Manor that included documenting the “space between the floor and the door” and the windows and the walls. She said that “Menotomy Manor has been forgotten in a sense.” These words were spoken from a board member who is also a tenant.
“Menotomy Manor has been forgotten in a sense.”
Why are these residents not coming forward? They are afraid. Why am I sharing this with you? There have been problems at the Housing Authority for years.
For 20 years, the incumbent allowed a culture of shaming and ignoring residents and unsafe living conditions to develop and continue under his watch. It was his job to make sure the director followed state laws, or to work to remove him. He did neither. Instead, the incumbent voted to give the director a raise last fall. He watched the same AHA residents crying and pleading for help as I did, and with his one vote, he erased them.
Arlington — these are OUR neighbors. We cannot continue to allow the residents of Menotomy Manor and other Housing Authority properties be forgotten by the very board that we elect to serve them. AHA residents pay taxes, share the same parks and restaurants, shop in the same stores and attend Arlington’s schools. Each deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and has the human right to live in safe and sanitary housing. Change is desperately needed at the Housing Authority. A vote for Kelda is a vote for our Menotomy Manor neighbors.
I invite you to come and listen to residents yourself. Find the next meeting here >> https://arlingtonhousing.org.
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Asia Kepka of Silk Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
It’s time to bring a fresh face, new energy and ideas into Arlington Housing Authority. I hope many Arlington residents will recognize Kelda Fontenot’s unique perspective, openness and enthusiasm that AHA is in need right now.
Why is the Arlington Housing Authority not requesting hundreds of thousands of dollars of Community Preservation Act (CPA) money set aside for affordable housing every year? Why did the incumbent miss all six CPA meetings this year?
I believe any management that has lost passion for their job and simply does not show up should be replaced with someone who will.
The Community Preservation Act reserves 10 percent of its revenue to be used for investments in open space and outdoor recreational facilities, affordable housing and historic preservation. Last year, annual CPA revenues were almost $2 million, which means almost $200,000 was available to be used by the AHA or Housing Corporation of Arlington for affordable housing. The AHA did not ask for it. In fact, in the six years since the CPA began, the AHA has applied for that money only three times, potentially leaving at least $600,000 on the table unrequested. The incumbent sits on the board of the CPA yet missed all six meetings this year in which the grant requests were reviewed and discussed.
That $200,000 left on the table last year could have been used to provide rental assistance for those who are most vulnerable in the community. The $200,000 from 2019 could have been used to provide loans, and security deposits for families struggling with housing insecurity. The $200,000 from 2018 could have been used as interest rate write-downs, grants and other forms of assistance directly to individuals and families who are eligible for community housing. Can you imagine all the lives that $600,000 could have touched?
The AHA can also use CPA funds for the “acquisition, creation, preservation and support” of affordable housing. The HCA has used CPA money to acquire properties and add units of affordable housing. The AHA has not.
What excuse can there possibly be to justify why long serving board members have not submitted $600,000 worth of grants to help the over 1,500 residents, including 400 children, and hundreds of seniors? It is time for new management and new passion at the Housing Authority.
This letter to the editor was published Saturday, April 10, 2021.
AHS Young Progressives Cochairs Noah Sweder, Irving Street, and Arno Huet, Oakland Avenue, Arlington, submitted this letter.
The Arlington High School Young Progressives Club is excited to be supporting Kelda Fontenot for Arlington’s Housing Authority. Her candidacy gives us hope for change.
Last month, Kelda joined one of our meetings and spoke to us about the important role that the AHA plays in Arlington. She understands the importance of safe and equitable housing as someone who has suffered the impact of bad housing policies. We were impressed by her knowledge and believe she will use her experience and empathy to advance equity at the AHA.
Kelda’s candidacy speaks to us. We appreciate her dedication to engaging youth on these important issues, and she has helped us understand why we should all care about this race, even if we don’t live in AHA properties. Her willingness to acknowledge the flaws in our current system and offer concrete, measurable solutions is refreshing. That is why we are spending time on weekends and after school handing out fliers and delivering lawn signs, and that is why we are writing this letter.
Those of us who can vote this April are excited to vote for Kelda, and those of us who can’t yet vote are doing everything we can to get her elected. You can help by voting for representation, voting for transparency, and voting for equity, by voting for Kelda.
Last, we are excited about the Town Meeting member candidacies of former AHS Black Student Union founders Phedjina Jean in Precinct 9 and Doralee Heurtelou in Precinct 19. Their experiences, thoughtfulness, and commitment will bring important diversity and perspectives to Town Meeting.
This letter to the editor was published Saturday, April 10, 2021.
Eric Segal of Milton Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
There is an election for important Arlington leadership positions, including a seat on the Board of the Arlington Housing Authority. I worked for public and subsidized housing tenants for many years, including at the Rindge Towers, Washington Elms/Newtown Court and Mission Main. In every case, the quality of the housing, and the quality of services provided to the residents was directly proportional to the involvement of the residents in the governance of the housing authority.
Boards that do not make it their business to communicate closely with the residents simply do not have the information to make decisions in the best interests of the residents.
Kelda Fontenot has indicated that communication with housing authority tenants, which has not been the authority’s strong suit, will be her highest priority. Therefore I will be casting my ballot for Ms. Fontenot, and I urge others to do the same.
This letter to the editor was published Saturday, April 10, 2021.
Islam Genina, a recent asylum grantee, of Eustis Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
One of the most alarming and revealing recommendations from the five-year study conducted by the League of Women Voters is that Housing Authority board members undergo “regular professional training on how best to interact with people with challenges including but not limited to hearing, sight, language, cultural, financial, religious and physical and mental abilities. Communication should be responsive, prompt and courteous.”
One only needs to attend meetings to understand why this recommendation is needed. Attitudes and comments of long-serving Board members show a callous disregard for the diverse voices of residents, revealing the clear need for cultural competence training and institutional training to address racism, classism and ableism as it plays out in their systems. The historical lack of diversity on the board compounds the problem; it’s hard to see something that you can’t personally relate to. Harm is happening, from lesser offenses like “othering” and microaggressions to more serious infractions of threatening people’s housing in retaliation for lodging complaints and ignoring unsafe housing conditions.
There exists a documented culture of favoritism towards residents who speak favorably and retribution towards residents who speak about their frustration and concerns. It’s unsurprising that the incumbent’s campaign manager is the president of a tenant association; the impropriety of this alone validates the idea that a culture of favoritism flourishes at the AHA. Many residents will share their negative experiences with the AHA, touching on themes of racism, classism, or ableism, only if allowed to remain anonymous. Residents struggling with unsafe living conditions due to insect and rodent infestations, leaking toilets, and holes in their ceiling stay quiet for fear of losing the most important thing — their housing. Worse, they are blamed for the problems.
It’s only with the election of Jo Anne Preston that they now comply with Open Meeting Laws. Previously, meeting recordings were destroyed and minutes unposted. Now that ACMi is recording meetings behavior has started to improve. However, as recently as January board members can be seen referring to residents as “these people” and saying, “Jesus Christ, come on dear” in response to a resident with disabilities inquiring about vaccination distribution.
In addition to recommended cultural-competency training, the state mandates training outlining ethics and responsibilities for board members. To date, this training has not been done. We must do better. We must elect new board members who aren’t complicit in the decadeslong history of shaming and blaming.
This letter to the editor was published Saturday, April 10, 2021.
Rajeev Soneja, Mary Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
I write this letter in support of Kelda Fontenot’s candidacy for Arlington Housing Authority. Kelda has a very close connection to the AHA, as somebody who has experienced the hardship associated with what is a primary need for humanity. The pandemic has exposed the deep divide in this country for the haves and the have-nots. Food, clothing and shelter are basic needs for all humanity, and as a society that exists in the richest corner of the richest country in humanity we ought to be able to fulfill these needs.
Kelda brings a strong voice to help advocate for people who require housing, to their call for secure, safe and most important be accessible to address these concerns. Kelda’s personal experiences and her ability to bring empathy and much needed independent voice will help ensure that all residents merit equal treatment and representation. Kelda brings years of experience with advocacy for those who require affordable housing, and I am confident these experiences will make Kelda uniquely qualified to be elected for this position.
This letter to the editor was published Saturday, April 10, 2021.
John Ward, an Arlington Housing Authority tenant at Winslow Towers, submitted this letter.
The upcoming election has generated a lot of caustic commentary by people that I, for one, never saw at any of the AHA Board meetings in the three years that I have been watching. As an AHA resident, I HAVE been obliged to contact the town Health Department, the town Police Department, the town Fire Department and the town building inspector at different times to deal with issues that the AHA administration was aware of but chose to ignore. The conditions that inspired the official contact were consequently dealt with immediately. It is all on the record for anyone to see. All instances presented a threat to resident health or safety.
The “old guard” AHA board has enjoyed decades of anonymity and the speedy format of meetings. They did treat all things unassociated with passing money agenda items as frivolous and shuffling them aside only to be forgotten and ignored. There was no recourse to the aggrieved, and that was how it went. I know; I was there!
Some “old-guard” members of the AHA board are having an epiphany with the attention this election cycle is bringing and giving lip service to some of the more sensitive issues. They have all served “honorably” and with distinction that is tempered by so many years of expeditious process that institutionalized bad practices over time. While there may not be any “blood on the floor,” there is a LOT of truth to the deficiencies being exposed by this election cycle.
To believe that those who have been conducting themselves one way for decades are suddenly going to pivot overnight must also believe in the tooth fairy.
Since there are no term limits here, a change in board commissioners is the approach that I believe in and therefore support Kelda Fontenot for the AHA Board of Directors.
This letter to the editor was published Thursday, April 8, 2021.
Geoff Freed of Alpine Terrace, Arlington, submitted this letter.
This current pandemic shines a light on the need to address issues of inequity. Across the nation our most at-risk community members; those living in public housing, our seniors, people with disabilities and people of color have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.
Throughout her work as a housing advocate and her personal interactions with the Arlington Housing Authority, the most frequent concerns that Kelda hears from residents are about:
• Improving transparency and communication.
• Ensuring that ALL residents benefit from equal treatment and representation, especially our seniors and residents with disabilities.
• Promoting a culture that celebrates the diversity of AHA residents.
• Creating a system that elevates residents’ voices without fear of retaliation.
• Eliminating the hardship and dehumanizing treatment of residents experiencing housing instability.
Kelda is an experienced project manager and has both created and worked within budgets, while running an international nonprofit for musicians. She is culturally competent and an effective team player. Following a disabling injury due to unsafe housing in 2010, she dedicated the past 10 years to housing advocacy and to learning as much as possible about the factors surrounding access to safe and affordable housing. In that work she gained critical experience understanding housing codes, rules and regulations. More important, she intimately understands the barriers and challenges AHA residents face and will center and raise their voices.
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Celia Wcislo, Appleton Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
I am writing to endorse Kelda Fontenot for the open seat on the Arlington Housing Authority Board. Kelda has years of personal experience with public housing issues, and she has taught herself about housing policy, regulations and laws. She will bring an important voice for those who have faced housing insecurity and will also bring a commitment to work together with the town to improve our public housing, as well as improve relations with the 1,500 tenants the Arlington Housing Authority now serves.
Arlington needs to expand its representation of all sections of our community. Kelda will be a welcome and constructive voice that will make Arlington’s public housing more responsive and tenant centered.
I have lived in Arlington for just over 40 years, have been a member of First Parish Unitarian Universalist Congregations for 28 years and am proud to be able to put my support behind Kelda’s campaign.
Remember to vote in the town elections April 10, and please vote for Kelda Fontenot for the Arlington Housing Authority.
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Kellye Eversole of Wright Street, submitted this letter.
I am writing to urge you to vote for Kelda Fontenot for Arlington Housing Authority Board.
While I am relatively new to Arlington, I am very interested in ensuring that all of our neighbors and members of the community have access to safe, well maintained and quality housing. Over the course of the past year, I have had an opportunity to get to know quite a few of the wonderful individuals who live in Winslow Towers and I have learned about the horrible conditions in another property managed by the AHA.
I believe the AHA board must do a better job of ensuring that the needs of tenants are met, that their voices are heard, and that they are given a place to live with dignity. The recent state legislation requiring that at least one member of a Housing Authority board must be a tenant is a step forward, but we also need at least one other person who has struggled with housing, encountered financial and housing difficulties similar to those of AHA tenants, and who is interested in actively reaching out and getting to know the residents.
I believe that Kelda Fontenot is that person. She has a concrete action plan, is committed to transparent, open meetings and rules, has endorsed and plans to push for the implementation of the recommendations from the League of Women Voters, has experienced financial and housing difficulties, and has the spirit and drive to succeed. She is extremely qualified in managing complex projects and will be a strong, articulate advocate for all tenants. I strongly urge you to vote for Kelda Fontenot for Arlington Housing Authority board.
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Robin Bergman of Park Avenue, submitted this letter.
Sometimes it just happens that someone serves on a board or organization for so long that they lose sight of what motivated them to serve in the first place. They get too comfortable because they have not been challenged. It may not be intentional; they probably don’t even realize it themselves. But the result is that they have lost their vision, their ability to see new solutions, and lost touch with the needs of those they are there to serve. When this happens, it’s time for them to step down and allow someone new to serve. Unfortunately, this is what’s happened with long serving board members of the Arlington Housing Authority.
AHA residents deserve board members who are caring, empathetic and passionate about their work and who believe in transparency. They deserve board members who are tireless advocates for the individuals and families who live there. They deserve Kelda Fontenot. For over 10 years, Kelda has worked as a housing advocate to help others understand complex housing codes, rules and policies. She has witnessed the unresponsive administrators and the dehumanizing treatment of human beings who are experiencing housing instability. She is intimately aware of the challenges that low income and housing insecure residents need to overcome and the inadequacies of the current Housing Authority Board. She is ready to get to work, to learn from and to work with fellow board members to change things for the better.
A vote for Kelda Fontenot is a vote to support the 1,500 residents who live in AHA housing.
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Melanie Francis of Ashland Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
I’ve lived in Arlington for over 10 years now. I’ve been a renter all my life, and I’ve rented apartments in high-rise buildings, houses and apartment complexes all over Massachusetts and in other states. I’ve had good and bad experiences, the bad experiences have made me a stronger person, but it also gave me a sense of uncertainty.
I felt as a renter you never know when you’ll get that letter stating the rent is going up, or you need to vacate because the owner is selling. As a renter you feel you have no rights or say in anything that can affect your life in such a huge way. When I spoke with Kelda Fontenot and she told me why she wanted to run for Arlington Housing Authority I knew I wanted to support her.
I think that when a person has experienced hardship and wants to make changes, they do so wholeheartedly, because they’ve felt the pain. Kelda is a person who has struggled as a renter and knows firsthand what it’s like to want renters security and not get it, she knows what it’s like to have to vacate a home and not know what the next move is. Kelda knows what it’s like to want repairs made to an apartment and nothing is done.
Kelda can TRULY speak from experience and wants to fight for the people of Arlington to make sure renters are better supported and we really need this. I believe she will do the job and help make positive changes in Arlington not only for renters but the whole Arlington community and bring more unity into Arlington. Renters feel they’re separate from the home owners in Arlington, they feel less than and looked down on. They need someone in the Arlington Housing Authority who will fight for them and will listen to their concerns. Kelda Fontenot is the person to do it, she will make the necessary changes needed to make this community better.
I believe Kelda will use her experience to relate to renters to talk to them and hear from them, she knows what it takes to build more affordable housing in a way that makes sense, she will bring a diverse outlook that Arlington has never seen before but desperately needs.
Kelda Fontenot has my full support. She is a person that truly understands the struggle and is using her hardships to help the people of Arlington, I can’t say that about any other candidate.
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Christine C. Carney, a Precinct 11 Town Meeting member, submitted this letter.
I am writing to encourage others to join me in voting for Kelda Fontenot, a candidate for the Arlington Housing Authority board of directors, on Saturday, April 10. Kelda’s own experiences with finding and securing safe and affordable housing give her the insight and perspective most of the other board members do not have. I strongly feel that people who are closest to the issues should have a seat at the table.
I learned of Kelda’s experiences with housing issues last year, when she posted to a local Facebook group detailing the trouble she and her family had encountered with securing housing. She wrote about the lack of response from the Arlington Housing Authority. The AHA’s unresponsiveness did not deter her or cause her to give up in her quest for safe housing for her and her family. Because of her unwillingness to give up, I know she will be a strong advocate for others. And the people who the AHA serves deserve to have a board who will listen and advocate for them in positions of power.
Kelda brings with her personal experience with the public housing system and years of advocacy work, experience managing a small business, an understanding of budgets and the laws involving the rights of tenants. I believe that she will help create an environment where our most vulnerable neighbors will be listened to and heard. Kelda has spoken to the AHA residents; she has listened to their concerns and has sound workable solutions and can learn more by visiting her website, votekelda.com.
If Arlington is to be a community that “… values equity, diversity and inclusion. We are committed to building a community where everyone is heard, respected, and protected.” Kelda Fontenot needs to win a seat on the Arlington Housing Authority Board of Directors on Saturday, April 10. Please join me in voting for Kelda Fontenot.
This letter to the editor was published Monday, March 29, 2021.
Barbara Goodman of Walnut Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
Meetings of the Arlington Housing Authority are starting to “heat up.” The residents continue to complain that the board doesn’t listen to their complaints about basic health-and-safety issues. Board members assert that they are doing their best but have limited resources and authority to address these issues.
It seems obvious that when things start to “snowball” and discourse becomes uncivil, the best thing to do is for the parties it to stop blaming each other and start finding practical solutions. This, of course, is much easier said than done — especially given the tension between many residents and the board.
The good news is that Kelda Fontenot, a candidate running for a seat on the Arlington Housing Authority, understands the needs and has proposed some concrete steps to improve communications and relations between the Board and the residents. Along with recommendations of the League of Women Voters in their 2019 report, Kelda is committed to establishing:
- A clear process to document and track complaints and maintenance requests;
- An informative web page;
- A tenants’ handbook;
- Training for board members and employees on how to interact with people with disabilities, challenges, different backgrounds; and
- Regular “coffees” for informal discussions between tenants and board members.
Kelda Fontenot has demonstrated the ability to rise above the clamor and divisiveness to propose real solutions. She is the kind of person we need on the board right now.
The Housing Authority oversees five properties and is managed by an executive director and governed by a five-member board (two appointed and three elected). The residents — more than 1,100 adults and nearly 400 children — rely on the Housing Authority, to make sure that their homes at least meet basic health-and-safety codes and that they are treated with respect and compassion. It is our responsibility as voters to elect individuals to the Arlington Housing Authority who will protect the welfare and basic human rights of our neighbors.
On Saturday, April 10, join me in voting for Kelda Fontenot for the Arlington Housing Authority.
This letter to the editor was published Sunday, March 28, 2021.
Pamela Baldwin of Summer Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
I am writing to encourage Arlington voters to support Kelda Fontenot for the open seat on the Arlington Housing Authority board.
As a former board member of the private not-for-profit Housing Corporation of Arlington, I am deeply familiar with acute housing needs and long waiting lists for affordable homes in our community. But HCA’s portfolio of approximately 100 affordable units is quite small compared to the AHA’s 708 units. This scale of operation means that the AHA board is a critical resource for approximately 1,500 of our most marginalized and diverse neighbors including seniors, individuals with disabilities, single parents, working families and their children. A vote for Kelda to join the AHA board is a simple way to step up and support them.
While it’s true that the AHA board operates within regulatory guidelines set by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, this does not mean our local Housing Authority is not accountable to Arlington voters or to its own tenants. Kelda brings both personal and professional experience to the table, as a person who has experienced housing insecurity, navigated shelter and public housing systems, and served others as a tireless and knowledgeable housing advocate.
For too long there has been a lack of transparency and accountability at AHA, but now is the time to insist on respectful and responsive management by the board, and to push the board to do its work in partnership with AHA residents. I cannot claim to have direct knowledge of AHA operations, nor of specific problems caused by the incumbent or other long-serving staff and board members. Nevertheless, it seems clear that some board members, including Fontenot’s opponent, have been reelected numerous times without any effort to engage in substantive discussions of accountability, diversity or transparency.
Only now that AHA operations have been spotlighted by public participation in virtual meetings, are the voters of Arlington hearing incumbent campaign claims toward these important values, when it seems clear that for many AHA residents the status quo at AHA has been negligence, minimal attention to on-the-ground tenant concerns, and opacity. As an Arlington voter who follows housing issues closely, it really catches my attention when I see Kelda’s independent candidacy receiving strong support from AHA residents and from people all over Arlington, even those who don’t normally work together or even agree on how to solve housing challenges. They can still agree that change is needed at AHA.
I believe we should also expect board members to engage thoughtfully in the wider public conversation about our town’s deep housing affordability challenges. Our housing-equity challenges will not be mitigated without significant public investment, and the AHA board should play a role in building awareness of the role of the public sector. We should expect people who serve on this board to care about the broad housing policy issues that face the Town as well. Many low- and moderate-income seniors currently live in homes that are increasingly unaffordable due to dramatically steep tax increases; this means that it is likely we will continue to see more people in our community facing displacement, not to mention how hard it is for low- and moderate-income newcomers to find affordable homes to rent or buy here.
But the bottom line is that AHA board members should represent us in embodying dedication and commitment to AHA residents and their concerns, and we have started to see the winds of change at the AHA with new board members elected or appointed last year. Voters should follow through by electing Kelda Fontenot and sending an experienced new voice to fill the open seat this year. Kelda has specific plans and priorities that will make her an effective resource for AHA tenants, including documenting complaints, fostering a respectful culture with 24-hour response time, improving the website and ensuring that the handbook is regularly updated, partnering with the Board of Health to address quality of life concerns, developing professional training that addresses diversity and inclusion, and holding monthly informal chats with residents.
I know Kelda is the right person at the right time — please join me in voting for Kelda Fontenot for the Arlington Housing Authority.
This letter to the editor was published Thursday, March 25, 2021.
Judith Garber, of Mass. Ave., Arlington, submitted this letter to the editor.
In November 2020, I attended my first public meeting of the Arlington Housing Authority (AHA), which operates many of Arlington’s housing assistance programs. I was shocked to hear some of the board members act extremely condescending and rude, dismissing tenants’ concerns about rodent infestations and blaming them for the problem. One tenant, on the verge of tears and tired of being silenced, wrote “Help us” on a piece of paper and held it to the computer camera.
There is a clear need for better communication and more accountability from the AHA board. The AHA needs leadership with understanding and empathy for tenants’ concerns, who are committed to transparency.
That’s why I’m voting for Kelda Fontenot for AHA board. Kelda has dedicated the past 10 years to being a volunteer housing advocate and understands firsthand the struggle in trying to be heard by the Housing Authority. She is passionate about eliminating hardship and dehumanizing treatment of all residents experiencing housing instability.
I believe Kelda will be an empathetic, responsive and hard-working board member. I hope you will join me in voting for Kelda for AHA board.
This letter to the editor was published Monday, March 22, 2021.
Rebecca Gruber of Pleasant Street, Arlington, submitted this letter.
The Arlington Housing Authority provides housing to many in our community who now more than ever need our community support. These residents of Arlington deserve our attention and concern. In my experience, when you want to get something done, you really need to understand the complexities of the issues and the reality of how policies and regulations play out in the lives of real people — you need to connect with the people on the ground, the people who experience what is working and what isn’t working on a daily basis.
Through her personal experience with housing instability and her significant professional experience as a housing advocate, Kelda Fontenot is the right person to get the work done. Kelda Fontenot knows what needs to be fixed, and she will dig in and get it done.
Kelda leans in and she listens. She is a passionate and experienced advocate for safe and affordable housing. She is intimately familiar with the recommendations of the League of Women Voters and will work to create: a streamlined, effective, well-documented complaint process; a culture where calls and emails are responded to promptly and courteously; and an informative, content-rich website and updated handbook. Kelda will prioritize creating accountability metrics such as tracking resident complaints to make sure issues are addressed. And Kelda will push for professional training of all AHA board members and employees on how best to interact with people with challenges including but not limited to hearing, sight, language, cultural, financial, religious and physical and mental abilities is completed.
As important as all the above specific priorities are, Kelda promises to amplify the voices of AHA residents so they are truly at the center of discussions and decisions affecting them. In the last year there have been positive changes in the Housing Authority brought about by new board members, but they need help, they need Kelda Fontenot. By supporting Kelda’s campaign, we can send the Board and, even more importantly, the AHA residents the help they need. Our votes for Kelda Fontenot will help improve the lives of over 1,500 AHA residents, including 400 children. Every day I know she will ask herself “ What can I do to make the lives of our residents better?”
This letter to the editor was published Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
Sandra Mostajo, of Park Avenue, a Precinct 16 Town Meeting member, submitted this letter.
I am writing to encourage you to vote for Kelda Fontenot to be the newest member of the Arlington Housing Authority (AHA) board. The AHA oversees housing for more than 1,500 of our most underserved and ignored residents, including around 400 children in 67 different buildings in Arlington.
Fontenot has more than 10 years experience as a housing advocate. In her work she has dedicated herself to improving the lives of some of the most marginalized members of our society. She is experienced, intelligent, kind and empathetic. Kelda will use these skills to work cooperatively with board members to provide fair and equitable treatment of all residents, safe and healthy living conditions, and opportunities for social interaction and personal growth. She will be a caring, compassionate, well-informed advocate for everyone.
Kelda is committed to work with other AHA board members to follow through on the recommendations of Arlington’s League of Women Voters after they completed a comprehensive five-year study of the problems with AHA. Kelda’s priorities include:
- Implementing a streamlined, effective, well-documented complaint process;
- Creating a culture where calls/emails are responded to promptly and courteously, within 24-hours;
- Building and maintaining an informative, content-rich website;
- Updating the resident handbook with real information, including emergency information and contact information, and making it accessible to non English speaking residents;
- Improving the partnership with the Board of Health to boost the quality of life for all AHA residents, even before problems arise;
- Creating accountability metrics, such as tracking resident complaints to make sure issues are addressed in a timely manner;
- Completing professional training for board members and employees on how best to interact with people with challenges, including but not limited to hearing, sight, language, cultural, financial, religious and physical and mental abilities; and
- Promoting monthly chats with board members to create informal opportunities to engage with residents.
Kelda has the support of many Housing Authority residents. They know that through her personal and professional experience, she understands the complexities of affordable housing and the challenges they face daily. They know that they have a champion in Kelda. Now it is up to the rest of us to center their voices and respect their wishes and vote for Kelda as well. To learn more, visit www.voteKelda.com.
This letter to the editor was published Friday, March 19, 2021.
