Residents tell council of mold, bedbugs and infestations; urge stronger inspections and tenant protections

Dozens of Chelsea residents and tenant advocates used the public comment period at the City Council meeting to describe persistent and severe housing problems — roaches, mice, maggots, bedbugs and black mold — and to urge city action on inspections, tenant protection and preserving affordable housing.

The most detailed testimony came from tenants and organizers working with La Colaborativa and the Made Up To Code neighborhood inspection initiative. “This is real and it's happening in Chelsea,” said Marco, an organizer with La Colaborativa, describing leaked ceilings, black mold and infestations he has documented with tenants. Alejandra, who helped start the Made Up To Code program during the 2021 pandemic, thanked the council for adopting a policy to support tenant-led documentation but warned that implementation must protect residents from retaliation. “Inspections must be a tool to improve the lives of our families, not a source of fear,” she said.

Tenants offered multiple first-person accounts. Valerie said her landlord refused to relocate her while treating a 100‑unit building’s bedbug outbreak, leaving her with lasting scars from bites; Maria Romero told the council she lives at 168 Romero Street and has dealt with mice and cockroaches despite repeated complaints to her landlord. Anna Sophia, who said she represents 25 apartments, described maggots entering a basement unit and said she has been asking the landlord for help since July 17 with “nothing changed.” Several speakers said city inspection staff were sometimes perceived as more sympathetic to landlords than to tenants.

Residents and advocates asked the council to use licensing, inspections and preservation strategies to reduce displacement while improving conditions. Anna Sophia urged a “proactive preservation strategy that addresses the intersection between housing conditions and displacement,” saying many tenants cannot move because costs and move‑in barriers are prohibitive. “A two‑bedroom for $1,800 in bad shape versus $2,600 in better condition — many families can’t do that,” she said.

Speakers described health impacts and equity concerns. Angie Coronado, director of health equity at La Colaborativa, said dangerous housing conditions drive higher rates of asthma and other chronic illnesses and linked the problems to higher COVID infection rates during the pandemic. “These conditions are not just uncomfortable. They lead to higher rates of asthma, chronic illness, and stress‑related health issues,” she said.

Some speakers also raised process and oversight concerns. Joan Crumwell, a member of an appointed board, urged the council to stop interfering with planning and zoning board decisions and to avoid last‑minute amendments that she said undermine due process. Marnie McAlpine, chair of the Chelsea licensing board, praised the council’s recent property‑management licensing steps but opposed removing voting authority from boards such as planning and zoning, saying boards are a necessary check and balance.

Several speakers described a chilling effect on civic participation tied to a requirement that public speakers give a full street address before speaking. Blanca Gacerna said publicly stating a full address raises safety concerns for immigrant residents and urged the council to allow speakers to provide only a name and neighborhood or district for the public record.

The public comments prompted several councilors to urge follow‑up. Council President said the council cannot deliberate during public comment but encouraged residents to reach out to their councilors and to file formal requests so staff and departments can pursue follow‑up. Several speakers asked for coordinated action across departments — inspectional services, health and housing development — so complaints do not bounce between offices without resolution.

Ending: Councilors acknowledged the scale of the complaints and indicated the matter will be pursued through departmental follow‑up, licensing implementation and future committee meetings. Residents urged sustained oversight and faster, tenant‑centered implementation of inspection and preservation strategies.