By John Lynds
As the project to replace the state’s oldest public housing development progresses, tenants from the Bunker Hill Public Housing Development have secured legal counsel to help navigate the complex issues surrounding the project.
Late last month, the Bunker Hill Tenant Task Force voted unanimously to retain Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) to represent them and the residents of Bunker Hill during the ongoing effort to revitalize the public housing community into a mixed-income community.
GBLS will provide free legal aid, representation and advocacy to Bunker Hill tenants who would not otherwise be able to afford an attorney.
Jay Rose, the GBLS attorney that will be working with the Bunker Hill community has decades of experience working on behalf of low-income families, many of them that live in public housing.
“It’s a privilege to represent an active and determined group like the Bunker Hill Tenant Task Force,” said Rose. “In a nutshell, the goal is to create a real partnership with Corcoran Jennison based on mutual respect and decision making.”
Rose has also represented the Mission Main Tenant Task Force during that public housing community’s transition into a mixed income community more than a decade ago.
“We are very happy to have GBLS and Jay in our corner,” said Chairperson of the Bunker Hill Tenant Task Force Betty Carrington, . “We look forward to working with him as we move forward with our plans to revitalize our neighborhood.”
Last September, the Boston Housing Authority selected Corcoran Jennison Associates as the developer to bring about complete transformation of the Bunker Hill site, the largest public housing development in the City of Boston. At 1,100 units, the Charlestown public housing development will be torn down and rebuilt into a mixed-income community that preserves the low-income apartments for families in need into the future.