Health, building and fire officials say House of Hope shelter is making incremental repairs; council hears inspection details

City health, building, fire and police officials told the New Bedford City Council Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhoods on Feb. 11, 2025, that the House of Hope shelter at 848 Mount Pleasant St. has outstanding code violations but is making incremental repairs and remains in operation.

Sofia DeCosta of the New Bedford Health Department said her initial inspection on Oct. 21, 2024, produced a report with a variety of violations that was served on owner Robert “Bob” Hughes and the property owner. DeCosta told the committee she inspected the site again on the day of the meeting and found “about 17 violations outstanding,” many tied to water-damaged drop ceilings, mold remediation and unfinished plumbing and electrical work that staff described as “being worked on.” DeCosta said the case is in housing court and scheduled for additional review in March before Southeastern Housing Court.

Joseph Cavallo, environmental health director, told the committee the health department is pursuing classifying the site as a rooming house with the licensing office; if the classification is applied, the city would conduct initial inspections and then quarterly inspections going forward. Cavallo and other officials cautioned that a rooming-house classification would bring additional building- and fire-code requirements that could impose significant upfront costs on the owner.

Danny Romanovitz (building department) said the department has open permits for a rear deck replacement and for plumbing, building and electrical work tied to bathrooms and ventilation. Matthew Silva, who inspected the interior, told the committee the owner is “continuously working” and that the biggest recurring problem inside is clutter at entrances and in paths to bathroom areas; Silva said there are five usable points of egress and a functioning fire alarm system.

Chief Scott Krueger of the New Bedford Fire Department said the Fire Prevention Bureau received a complaint in the fall, required an NFPA 72 report on the alarm system and received documentation showing the system works, exit signs and extinguishers were tested, and exterior debris was removed. Krueger said there were no open fire-hazard complaints at the site at the time of the meeting.

Police leadership told the committee that House of Hope houses roughly 38 people on a typical night and that the shelter’s willingness to accept people during cold weather is an operational asset to public safety officers responding to calls; police and fire officials described mostly service-oriented calls, including medical calls, rather than repeated disorder at the location.

Asked whether the shelter meets all minimum-housing standards, Cavallo said the facility remains subject to the city’s minimum housing code, that it has exemptions based on its use, but that many housing-code requirements still apply. Cavallo said if the facility meets the definition of a rooming house, the licensing process would trigger quarterly inspections and additional building- and fire-code compliance requirements.

On plumbing fixtures, building staff said inspectors found four (then later reported five) working toilets at various points in the session and two functioning showers; Matthew Silva later clarified there are five working toilets and two handicapped-accessible toilets. Silva said the plumbing contractor had just applied for bathroom and shower repairs and that the owner expects to maintain four to five working toilets and to increase working showers if the plumber alters the layout.

Reverend Hughes described the shelter’s services, saying medical and nursing staff visit daily, that the shelter provides three meals a day, and that his operation is privately funded. Hughes said residents pay $400 a month for services when they can and that SNAP benefits for food remain with residents. He said he has not accepted municipal, state or federal operating funds for the House of Hope and that he personally contributes funds from contracting work to cover repairs.

Multiple councilors and department officials warned that reclassifying the facility as a rooming house would likely require additional fire- and building-code upgrades — potentially including a sprinkler system depending on classification and occupancy — that could cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fire and building officials said a commercial kitchen conversion would trigger a kitchen suppression (hood) system and related inspections but would not, by itself, automatically require full-building sprinklers unless the occupancy or use requires it.

The committee recorded motions to receive and place the written packet on file and later to take no further action on the item. A motion to “receive and place on file” was recorded (mover: Councilor Alba; second: Councilor Abreu; vote recorded as “Aye”). A subsequent motion for no further action was recorded (mover: Councilor Abreu; second: Councilor Oliver; vote recorded as “Aye”). Another motion later to “receive and place the packet on file” was put forth by Councilor Abell and seconded by Councilor Lopes and recorded as approved.

Officials told the committee the court timeline and the owner’s newly filed permits create a path for repairs; the health department said it would pursue rooming-house classification and quarterly inspections with the licensing office while informing the owner and the committee of necessary building- and fire-code obligations.