A new beacon of hope has appeared for residents of the Allston-Brighton community, as the Boston Inspectional Services Department has established two tiplines to report bed bugs and landlord problems.
The decision to create the tiplines came after the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation held a community meeting last Tuesday night in Brighton, where many residents complained of infestations.
The tipline is offered in English and Spanish, and both formats allow for residents to leave a message to report bed bug complaints or when an ISD worker needs to inspect an apartment once it turns over.
When calling the tipline, the recorded message reminds callers that its purpose is for non-emergencies, and it redirects emergencies to another ISD number.
Juan Gonzalez, director of the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation which sponsored the event last Tuesday, explained what spurred the ISD to establish the tiplines.
“One of the requests that our committee, Latinos in Action, made, was that a direct line be provided for residents to call and complain without fear of getting evicted or threatened, since that has happened in the past,” he said.
Latinos in Action is a committee within the Community Development Corporation is dedicated to working on challenges facing members of the Latino community in Allston-Brighton, including immigration rights, education and housing issues.
Gonzalez also applauded the ISD on its prompt response to the residents’ concerns.
“This is just the beginning, but the tipline was established very quickly,” he said. “This is a good sign”
A spokesman for City Councilor Jerry McDermott (Allston-Brighton) said he was not available for comment but that he was “enthusiastic” that the tipline will start to solve the bed bug problem.
The tipline is anonymous to match the requests of residents who fear retribution on behalf of landlords and officials, and can be reached at (617) 961-3297.