Mayor Gary Christenson announced the creation of the City of Malden’s Office of Housing Stability, a new city department that will help Malden residents find and keep their housing by providing a range of services to renters, homeowners, and landlords. The Office of Housing Stability will provide services including rental assistance, mortgage assistance, eviction and foreclosure prevention, legal assistance, landlord-tenant mediation, housing search, case management, and more.
“The pandemic underscored the importance of acting locally to address our nation’s housing crisis,” said Mayor Gary Christenson. “Since 2020, the City has launched several programs focused on rental assistance, mortgage assistance, and eviction prevention to help keep our community whole. The Office of Housing Stability is a natural evolution of those programs, and just one part of our strategy to address the housing crisis.”
“Malden’s bold actions to advance housing security are a model for other cities and demonstrate exactly what local government should do during the housing crisis,” said Laura Rosi, CEO of Housing Families, Inc. “Housing Families has worked with the City of Malden on countless initiatives, and we’re eager to continue that partnership in this new capacity.”
The Office of Housing Stability will be operated by Housing Families, Inc. and staffed by a team of five, including a supervising attorney/ director, two staff attorneys, a paralegal, and a case manager. Housing Families, a Malden-based nonprofit, was selected following a competitive procurement process, and has provided housing services in Malden and surrounding communities since 1986. The City provided Housing Families with $550,000 check to fund the initiative.
The Office of Housing Stability was created using the City’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The program was designed by the Mayor’s Office and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development and enthusiastically recommended by the City’s ARPA Subcommittee on Resident Support which includes Special Assistant to the Mayor Maria Luise, City Councillors Ryan O’Malley and Chris Simonelli, and resident and community organizer Zayda Ortiz.
Residents needing assistance should call 781-397-7000 ext. 5721 or email housingstability@cityofmalden.org. Translation services are available. Learn more at https://www.cityofmalden.org/927/Housing-Stability.
Pictured (from left): Bybiose Larochelle, City of Malden DEI Coordinator; Maria Luise, Mayor’s Office; Zayda Ortiz, Community Organizer; Alex Pratt, Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development; Ward 7 City Councillor Chris Simonelli; Mayor Gary Christenson; Laura Rossi, Executive Director of HFI; Attorney Heather Van Orman (HFI), Attorney Jayna Stafford (HFI); and Attorney Roseanne Kiggundu (HFI)