Goals & Objectives

Consistent with HUD’s Strategic Goal to increase the availability of decent, safe, and affordable housing, the Malden Housing Authority (“MHA”), by vote of its Board of Commissioners, has established the following Institutional Goals:

During the Plan Year or Five Year Plan term, MHA will seek the Voluntary Conversion of all of MHA’s public housing units, if determined by MHA’s Board of Commissioners and resident families to be in the best interest of MHA, or if required by law or approved HUD Transformation or Conversion Initiative, inclusive or RAD, or as same may be hereinafter amended or restated; to apply for HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods or other Initiative, if eligible and in MHA’s best interest; to apply to HUD to be designated as Project-based Contract Administer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and also seek designation as a Moving To Work (MTW) Agency, if each opportunity is offered; to simplify, to the fullest extent possible, the MHA’s Public Housing and Section 8 Program Administration, and to pursue administrative and financial relief by seeking regulatory waivers from and implementing guidance contained in Federal Register Vol. 79, No. 122 published Wednesday, June 25, 2014 and similar as may be provided by HUD; to enter into partnership/cooperative/regional/joint venture agreements with other PHAs and municipal, Non-Profit and For-Profit Entities as are in the MHA’s best interests, to create cost-savings and economies-of-scale; and also to administer enhanced, special and/or additional rental vouchers, should same be made available by HUD, in order to protect and expand the supply of affordable and assisted housing to meet community and programmatic needs;

To complete all construction work planned under MHA’s Energy Service Contract with Siemens Company, Inc., during the Plan Year;

To federalize the MHA’s remaining one hundred seventy six (176) Massachusetts state housing program units, and/or to otherwise increase the MHA’s baseline number of public housing units, if allowed by law and not violative of the 1998 Faircloth Amendment;

To continue to strive to create new and expanded affordable housing opportunities for low, very low and extremely low income families through housing acquisition, conversion, redevelopment and rehabilitation activities.  The MHA will create one or more for-profit and/or non-profit affiliates and/or instrumentalities in order to leverage private or other public funds to create additional assisted/affordable housing opportunities, inclusive of HUD Transformation or Conversion Program funds, tax credit and/or other forms of creative mixed finance housing opportunities, such as combining capital fund, operating subsidy, low rent public housing reserve and/or allowable voucher funding with private sector, tax credit, grant and other HUD approved sources of finance inclusive of, but not limited to, bond issue and capital fund leveraging (CFFP), and to take full advantage of opportunities that may become available through Congressional legislation or HUD regulation, inclusive of systemic Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher and Low Rent Public Housing program conversion, reformation or revision.

To improve the quality of assisted housing and increase customer satisfaction, the MHA will seek to manage both its Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Programs in a manner that will allow HUD to continue to designate the MHA as a “High-Performing” Agency. 

To improve specific management functions: e.g., a systemic transformation of IT and Telephonic Communications into a new, state-of- the-art, fully integrated fiber optic network allowing for better software configuration and improved utilization at far lower cost; continuing professional and efficient site based budgeting and administration; and redesign and modernize underutilized common and community space at AMPS, including acquiring and incorporating land into existing parking areas to increase capacity and allow for more accessibility and fuller utilization of such space.

To increase assisted housing choices during the 5 Year Plan term: by conducting Section 8 outreach of owner/landlords; by implementing a voucher homeownership program and a Section 32 homeownership program related to the disposition of 15 scattered-site units in partnership with the Malden Redevelopment Authority and the City of Malden; and by project-basing up to the maximum twenty percent (20%) of the MHA’s Section 8 Tenant-Based Vouchers, and as that baseline number may be increased by any additional award or assignment of HUD Section 8 Voucher Assistance (20% of baseline currently equals 195 PBVs, however annual funding, as pro-rated, will control).

Consistent with HUD’s Strategic Goals, the MHA will: protect public housing resident families by implementing surveillance and enhanced lighting and security measures at MHA developments to ensure the highest degree of safety and security; promote self-sufficiency and asset development of assisted households by forging community partnerships to provide MHA residents with access to educational, training and supportive service opportunities directed to economic self-sufficiency and better employment; provide health improvement opportunities designed to increase independence for MHA elders or families with disabilities, with particular emphasis on “aging in place” Resident Coordinator supportive service programs; and ensure equal opportunity and affirmatively further fair housing by providing access to and a suitable living environment for families living in assisted housing, regardless of race, color, religion national origin, sex, familial status, and disability.

The MHA will continue to partner in programs with the City of Malden, the Malden Redevelopment Authority and various local housing and supportive service providers, such as Mystic Valley Elder Services, Housing Families, Tri-City Homeless Task Force, Inc. (Tri-Cap), Heading Home, the Massachusetts Departments of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Project Triangle, ROCA and other qualified non-profit providers in order to assist MHA resident and participant families and homeless, elderly and disabled individuals and families in being, and remaining, housed.

The MHA will completely revise and recreate its online website during the Plan Year.

The MHA will seek to designate all/some portion of its public housing inventory as No Smoking during the Five Year Plan term, and intends to begin outreach and education of MHA resident families and employees during the Plan year.

(a)   MHA’s Definition of Significant Amendment and Substantial Deviation/Modification:

The Malden Housing Authority defines a Substantial Deviation, Significant Amendment or Modification to the Five year and Annual PHA Plan as:

Discretionary revisions of MHA plans and/or policies that fundamentally change the MHA’s mission, goals, objectives, or programs, and which require formal approval of the Board of Commissioners. Any revision to MHA plans and/ or policies adopted or implemented pursuant  to Presidential Executive Order, Congressional appropriations or legislation, or HUD Initiative, or any HUD revision to public and/or assisted housing  program administration, funding availability, or changes in applicable regulation, particularly if directed toward providing administrative or financial relief, will not be considered a significant amendment that requires formal approval by the MHA Board of Commissioners.

Stephen G. Finn
Executive Director