WORCESTER ― After receiving claims of “deplorable” living and working conditions in some of the city’s public housing complexes, several state offices have been looking into allegations against the Worcester Housing Authority.
According to a January statement from Service Employees International Union Local 888, workers have uncovered friable asbestos, black mold, raw sewage and other hazards in residential housing units.
“Our members include public housing employees from across the Commonwealth, and these are the worst conditions that we’ve ever seen,” Tom McKeever, president of SEIU Local 888, said. “It is unconscionable that the city’s poorest and most vulnerable residents would be subjected to this type of squalor by a public housing authority. From an equity perspective, from a human rights perspective, this is just wrong.”
McKeever alleged a lack of leadership from from the housing authority’s chief executive officer, Alex Corrales, in addressing living conditions.
After seeing the story posted online, Corrales reached out to the Telegram & Gazette with the following comment.