ATHOL – There has been a changing of the guard at the Athol-Orange Housing Authorities.
Evelyn Perez recently assumed the position of executive director, succeeding Christi Martin, who has been with the agencies for well over two decades. The two housing authorities share an executive director, with offices at 21 Morton Meadows in Athol.
Perez spent the last 20 years working for the housing authority in Leominster, most recently as director of housing management and admission services.
“I didn’t really know anything about subsidized housing when I was younger,” said Perez. “It was something that just happened to come my way. I started as a receptionist in Leominster and ended up being promoted a couple of times over my 20 years. And now, here I am.”
Martin has been with the Athol and Orange housing authorities for 26 years. She said her reason for putting in so much time at one place comes from a desire to help people.
“I enjoy helping the elderly and our low-income residents,” Martin said. “Some of it was for selfish reasons. My kids were in school; I was local, the benefits are pretty good. If a kid was sick, I could just run and get them. But after a while it just becomes your career, it’s who you become.”
There are about eight employees at the two authorities. Several work in the office and the rest are responsible for maintenance. The operation is overseen by a five-member board of directors made up of one member appointed by the governor, one tenant representative, and three who are elected.
Martin said most challenges that have arisen over the years come from changes in state regulations. One of the most significant occurred when then-Gov. Deval Patrick encouraged the resignation of the director of the Chelsea Housing Authority after it was learned they were being paid an annual salary of $360,000 and allegedly not disclosing this information.
“He was earning more money than the director of the New York City Housing Authority….So then they put in regulations where we would get audited, we would get management reviews,” she said. “And that has become hard because they have come to kind of micromanage what they want from you, even if the way you’re doing something makes sense and works.”
In 2018, an ice jam on the Millers River resulted in flooding that prompted a voluntary evacuation of the Morton Meadows housing complex in Athol.
“It was not mandated for (residents) to leave. We did ask them to leave and those who did we put up in hotels,” she said. “We did have to pump out the basement crawl spaces, water did get into there, but we really had no damage at all.”
There are more than 200 units overseen by the two housing authorities. The waiting list for elderly residents who are looking for a unit is about two years, said Martin. For families it is closer to five years. For Section 8, she added, “it could be 10 years, even 20.”
As she assumes the job of executive director, Perez said she understands that everybody is very concerned about the potential impact of cuts being made at the federal level.
“I see housing subsidies as very important; the need is very great,” Perez said. “I really don’t see where we’re going to be cut on these programs. I’m just hoping we’re not affected by it. I’m really not worried about it. I really don’t think it will happen.”
Looking ahead, Perez said she’ll focus on “acclimating myself with the ins and outs of the housing authority here. We all follow the same regulations and programs, but it’s a different type of operation. But I’m learning. It’s exciting. I love learning. I’ve made several mistakes, but I was able to fix them.”
While Perez said she is looking forward to the work that lies ahead, Martin said she plans to spend more time with her two granddaughters, one of which was just born on Father’s Day of this year.
“I’ll probably be very busy with them,” she said.
Greg Vine can be reached gvineadn@gmail.com.