The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is stepping in after concerns were raised about a senior citizen housing building in Linden.

Gerald Volpe, the executive director of Murawski Towers, was ordered to be removed after the HUD determined that he posed a risk to the property and its residents.

This comes after the city found a building damages report from September 2019, listing significant structural damage. At the time, about 30 units were demolished.

The nonprofit Linden Housing Corporation, who runs the building and oversees construction, was given $23 million to repair the building.

However, the city states that the nonprofit’s leadership failed to restore Murawski Towers, where 60 apartments remain vacant and uninhabitable, some for more than a decade.

“I want to congratulate HUD for standing up for the people of Linden,” said Mayor Armstead. “This decisive action sends a clear message: our seniors will be protected, and those who put them at risk will be held accountable. Murawski Towers is home to some of our most vulnerable residents, and I am grateful to HUD for working with us to safeguard their housing and their dignity.”

The mayor has also calling for the resignation of Linden Housing Corporation Board President Joseph Infante and Vice President Gretchen Brook Hickey, for their failure to protect the seniors who live in the building.