Eviction of disabled Section 8 tenant in Dorchester - help finding resources

[Brandon Smith]

Hi, my brother Chris lives in Cambridge in an section 8 apt, he is 68 years old and is disabled. he recently received a letter informing him the bldg had been sold and he had 30 days to move out. the letter stated that the apt bldg. was to be renovated and his apt. would be available for $800 more a mth. when renovations were compete. What recourse does Chris have with no where else to go ?
Loving brother Brandon

[bigfatdude]

That's the main reason why rents in MA are so high - landlords have to price in all the potential bull$hit, all the impossible to evict tenants and all the days in court.

Originally Posted by wynchym

you can request a reasonable accommodation to put extra padding on the floors, yes that is right, he is disabled, let me give you an example, if a disabled tenant has outbursts due to his disability and say breaks windows, you can request a reasonable accommodation to put plastic instead of glass. Many people do not know their rights, visit huds reasonable accommodation guidelines, and if the landlord denies the request, well they will have a day in court. You have rights, do not forget that, knowledge is power, learn them o n your own, visit the fairhousing laws and discrimination in housing, also check the 504 reasonable accommodation act. There you will find valuable information. Good luck

[yaeger07]

Harvard Law has a tenant advocacy project. They assist people with section 8. Tenant Advocacy Project or email tap@law.harvard.edu

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

That's the main reason why rents in MA are so high - landlords have to price in all the potential bull$hit, all the impossible to evict tenants and all the days in court.

A little compassion would go a long way. Your comment was in response to a post about a guy who was seriously disabled by Cerebral Palsy. Consider yourself lucky if you are not disabled.

I think legal services or else the Cambridge Housing Authority. People are usually required to find another place within 30 days or else they lose section 8. Maybe the housing authority can give him an extension on the time limit. If he does become homeless Cambridge has to take him into their elderly housing as an emergency case but you don't want it to come to that. The apartment he has now is probably nicer than the dumps that are called elderly housing. Maybe advertise on Craigs List and let potential landlords know the situation, that your brother is a good person, his building is being sold so it's not his fault. Good luck.

[charolastra00]

Since this just popped up after 5 years, figured I'd give an update about what *actually* happened.

This friend ended up finding an accessible, section 8 apartment in Quincy in a low income building of mostly disabled and elderly folks. It was a 2 bedroom with the idea that he would use the 2nd bedroom for an aide since he required significant help with bathing, cleaning, and cooking. Unfortunately, he ended up using that space as a flophouse for a lot of the loser friends he made both in the foster care system and living on the edges of society who frequently stole from him and trashed the place. My now ex and I tried to intervene, but there was only so much we could do.

He was evicted from that place in about a year. I heard the same sob story of how he didn't know why it was happening, but when I went over to help pack him up, you could smell the marijuana and cat urine smell from the elevator (because in this period, he adopted two cats he had no way of affording vet care for). It was heinous - the litter box for his two cats clearly hadn't been emptied in the month since I had last been in the apartment. I suspect his friends were dealing drugs out of his apartment and giving him a kickback because he certainly couldn't afford the weed on his own. He had a really great deal at this place - a balcony overlooking the ocean, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, central heat and air, activities and transportation for the disabled - far better than the pits my ex and I were living in trying to make it. I spent a lot of time trying to help him get services and even sign up for community college, but he wouldn't turn the paperwork in on time. While much of it was due to his disability and the way he grew up (foster care really screws with your ability to do any kind of long-term planning unless you're very self-motivated), it got to the point where it was clear that he had no interest in helping himself.

Due to the circumstances and the lack of accessible section 8 housing for people in wheelchairs, he ended up in Attleboro far from the nearest bus or commuter rail stop. My ex and I broke up and after making several 100 mile round trip drives to help seeing that he had no interest in making an effort himself, I had to step back. Last I heard, he's still in that apartment as a complete shut in, which is a real shame because despite his deficits, he was a funny, entertaining guy.

Thank you all for your help all those years ago. I wish I hadn't been so naive as to think he was just kicked out for the noise his crutches made. Now, I put my efforts into working with teenagers in the foster care system so they don't follow the same path. With guidance and support, this man could have lead a healthy, productive life. No one should have all of their potential stripped away from them from the get-go.