Mayor’s Problem Properties Task Force Continues to Make Boston a Better Place to Live

Established by Mayor Menino, the Problem Properties Task Force is a coordinated, inter-departmental approach created to identify, respond to and remedy properties adversely impacting the quality of life in our city. The Task Force – which is chaired by the Mayor’s Chief of Policy and Planning (Mike Kineavy), includes 10 cabinet chiefs. Members of these departments, such as the Boston Police Department and the Inspectional Services Department, work together to identify properties that have a long-established record of criminal incidents and code violations.

Once a property has been designated as a Problem Property, owners of properties are notified and given an opportunity to address and fix the issues impacting the property. To say the least, the program has been a huge success. Today, Mayor Menino, Police Commissioner Ed Davis and members of the Problem Properties Task Force gathered at 9 Inwood Street in Dorchester to celebrate the success of the program coinciding with the release of the program’s 1^st Annual Report.

Said Mayor Menino, “When you bring city agencies together and task them with the job of making our neighborhoods safer and stronger, great things can happen.  Every citizen has a right to live in a safe and decent neighborhood. Landlords have an obligation to provide safe, clean places to live. Thanks to the Problem Properties initiative, we’re making properties safer by making landlords more accountable. Thanks to the Problem Properties Task Force, we’re making Boston a better place to live.”