SPRINGFIELD — One freezing morning, Anna Smith said her heat and hot water stopped working. Her kids, shivering and bundled in their winter jackets, got ready for school.

“I felt powerless,” said Smith, a former Springfield Gardens tenant. “I felt like we were shouting into a void, asking for basic repairs, basic safety and basic dignity.”

State Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell visited Springfield on Tuesday to hear firsthand from people who lived in properties owned by Springfield Gardens, an embattled out-of-state landlord. She said her office is prioritizing regional equity and is promoting the release of its updated guide to state housing law.

Earlier in the fall, Springfield Gardens, known for leaving apartment buildings blighted, was banned from ever owning and managing re

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