‘Free rent’ means burden to Whittier Health Center

Howard Manly

Despite numerous public promises to afford Whittier Street Community Health Center free rent for thirty years, Northeastern University has collected nearly $1.8 million since 2000 in so-called occupancy charges from the community non-profit.

In all, Whittier has paid nearly $3.5 million in other related building maintenance costs, and that staggering expense has forced Whittier, one of the best-managed community health centers in the nation, to limit its critically needed services and look for a new location.

The occupancy charges are in stark contrast to statements made by high-ranking Northeastern officials at the time of the 1997 purchase of the nine-story building on Tremont Street in Lower Roxbury.

In Northeastern’s own magazine, a story touted the school’s commitment to the surrounding community by providing “more than 30,000 square feet of rent free space to Whittier for 31 years.”

“The site captures the idea of revitalization and it involves the notion of economic development,” Richard Freeland, then Northeastern president, told the magazine. “This is a place of rebirth and economic renewal in the city.”

The “free-rent” promise was also made in public documents filed by Northeastern in 1999 to the Boston Redevelopment Authority. In Northeastern’s Master Development Plan, school officials described their policy.

“As part of Northeastern’s commitment to the economic revitalization of Parcel 18,” the Master Plan stated, referring to the official city designation of the site, “the University has pledged 30,000 square feet of space in the Renaissance Park office building to Whittier Street neighborhood Health Center rent-free for 30 years.”

What wasn’t made public was the small print that required Whittier to pay its share of the building’s operating costs.

“Yes, Northeastern agreed that it would be rent free,” explained Robert Gittens, Northeastern’s vice-president for Public Affairs. “However, the lease agreement clearly states that operating costs and utilities were not included in the free rent and would be covered by Whittier. There is no disagreement over the lease.”

Northeastern purchased the building for $17 million, about $2 million less than the asking price. The reason the BRA agreed to the deal was because of Northeastern’s promises to provide several community benefits, including 200 parking spaces for the adjacent police station and linkage payments of $325,000 to the community for housing and job training.

“The most important thing for us,” said Thomas O’Brien, BRA chairman at the time, “was to try and bring as many benefits to the surrounding neighborhood as possible.”

The definition of those benefits has now become an issue before the Boston City Council. Three months ago, City Councilor Rob Consalvo held a public hearing on the issue at the request of City Councilor Chuck Turner.

“Although the terms of the agreement allow Whittier to enjoy the use of the state of the art building,” Whittier CEO and President Frederica Williams told the council, “the reality is that Northeastern University has not fulfilled its commitment of free of charge space for Whittier.”

Williams went on. “Whittier is investing in the community by improving the quality of lives, saving the health of our communities by eliminating health and social disparities, as well as being an economic engine for the area,” Williams said. “However, due to our temporary lease, a lack of permanent home and the escalating costs of our ‘free-of-charge’ community benefit package, Whittier’s future existence to deliver quality health care services to the resident of Boston is not guaranteed.”

The bottom-line, Williams explained, is that the building is “expensive, limited in size and a drain on the center’s operating budget.”

Each year, Whittier provides health care to about 12,000 patients, conducts at least 38,000 patients’ visits and reaches another 20,000 mostly low-income and uninsured folks through its community prevention and outreach programs. The center’s services are offered in 17 different languages that represent more than 20 different countries.

Gerrold Walker, chairman of the Whittier board of directors, readily admits that conversations with Northeastern have broken down.

“The board and management have tried to work with key people at Northeastern University to gain a better understanding of the escalating costs,” Walker said during the city council hearing. “However… Whittier has been unable to resolve this matter on their own.”

If Whittier didn’t have the financial burden, Walker explained, it could replicate its successful program combating diabetes to other chronic illnesses such as obesity, depression, cancer, cardiovascular disease and HIV. In addition, Walker explained, Whittier could dedicate more space for after-school and senior citizens programs as well as add an urgent care facility to help reduce the amount of emergency room visits.

As it is now, Whittier officials have little alternative but to wait and continue paying money to Northeastern. The Center is included in three different development proposals for an adjacent lot on Parcel 3. But given the city’s and state’s notoriously slow permitting process, a new building is at least five years away.