What is Really Going on With Worcester Housing Authority?

The Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) policy makers are misguided. This might be caused by the driven personality of Mr. Mariano who cannot seem to see any side of an argument except his own. He and some in the media cover up this personality flaw with the façade that he is “motivating” the lazy. The reality is that to a significant extent the WHA policy of limiting tenancy is a libel and slander against the poor, women with children, and people with dark skin.

I don’t dislike Mr. Mariano. He is quite personable and considerate. In 1997 when my Dad passed, he was the only public official to call me and offer his condolences. I do not doubt his sincerity. However I have doubts about his policies.

His policy to limit the tenancy of some people living in WHA apartments is unprecedented and therefore unsupported by any evidence, no statistics, and not even anecdotal hearsay. The limitation of tenancy policy is based entirely on the false assumption that people receiving benefits are somehow not “motivated”.  There should have been additional discussion on the issue other than the uncommented upon “annual review” at Housing and Urban development (HUD). HUD correctly stated that it had no authority to limit tenancy without cause.

Bashing HUD and libeling the tenants are attempts to cover up the lack of objectivity of Mr. Mariano’s policy.  Nothing less could be expected from some in the media; the apologies made for Mr. Mariano by others came as a surprise. I suppose they see him to be sincere, albeit a view that makes objectivity more difficult.

The appropriate way to change HUD policy is through the due process seen in laws made in Congress and interpreted by HUD.  The Congress could limit tenancy after a review of the facts. However to bureaucratically enact limits on tenancy without due process and public discussion is not how democratically thing should be done.

I suggest that Mr. Mariano take a look at his own agency before trying to make national laws.  There is so much to fix there and it might require more of Mr. Mariano’s attention than he has given it. Recently I defended a client at a Grievance Hearing at the WHA.  The WHA did not follow or even know some of the rules of HUD.  It confused a Grievance Hearing with an Eviction Hearing.  The Chair of the Grievance Panel would not identify himself nor would the WHA reveal his relationship to the WHA. The WHA refused to provide documents about the case even though HUD rules compelled it to do so. The people at WHA were rude and hostile.  I guess that they were more interested in bullying the poor and people ignorant of their rights than in due process. I offer my best wishes to Mr. Mariano and hope he gets it right.