WCHA to implement new ‘house rules’ for visitors

Standardized guidelines will address safety concerns & clarify tenant responsibilities across 38 communities.

By RICH CHOLODOFSKY
TribLive

Visitors to Westmoreland County Housing Authority properties will soon face new “house rules” as officials look to crack down on bad behavior and improve safety.

The agency’s board on Tuesday authorized Executive Director Michael Washowich and management to draft and implement standardized guidelines for guests.

The move will codify what officials described as previously unwritten “common sense” rules that have been routinely ignored by tenants and their visitors.

“We want to tighten things up,” Washowich said. “There are lots of things that aren’t written, but a lot of it is common sense. This will give us more ammunition to make sure tenants understand their responsibility and tools for us to work with local police departments.”

Over the next several months, officials will draft new guidelines and clarify existing ones across the agency’s 38 communities. The goal is to centralize policies regarding how visitors access and behave at public housing facilities.

Residents will not have a direct say in the new rules, Washowich said.

While officials insist no single incident sparked the revisions, they cited recurring concerns about how guests access apartment buildings, high-rises, townhouses and homes. The updates are designed to hold tenants more accountable for their guests’ actions.

Washowich said the authority plans to bar visitors from bringing weapons into facilities. Another expected change will prohibit guests from having unfettered access to common areas.

The agency has dealt with several violent incidents involving weapons brought onto the properties by visitors over the years. While residents are legally permitted to have weapons in their own homes, guests will be barred from carrying guns into the facilities.

Other rules will be determined after meetings with on-site managers to gauge specific concerns in each community. Washowich said the new visitation rules could be finalized and presented to the authority’s 4,000 residents in June.

“The house rules will be put in place to protect residents and maintain the peaceful enjoyment of our facilities for all residents,” Washowich said.