Autism in Massachusetts- relocation questions (Boston: insurance, school, landlords)

[ECPCVC]

They don't only need to live in Brookline or Newton for autism services. I don't live in either of those towns and with their budget they shouldn't either. OP, like I say to everyone that comes here and asks for autism/special needs info, join the yahoo group commonbonds. You can search past postings for info on districts or ask your own question. I think Newton and Brookline used to be the only towns with great services. Because of this many people say Newton is overcrowded. If your son is moderate to severely affected then Newton will still be great. If he is mild, he may not get the attention he needs. Brookline is also great. I didn't choose Brookline because their district-wide program is geared toward more affected children. I wanted a district-wide program for mild kids that is fully integrated and Brookline doesn't do this. I did many hours of research and moved somewhere with this type of program and am very happy. Another thought- the OP is looking for out of district placement. The better and more comprehensive the services, the less likely the child will be outplaced. Districts are trying to cut costs by developing their own programs. Some are quality programs, some aren't. You have to do alot of research on what towns offer that would specifically benefit your child. It's not a simple answer.

[YellowVW]

Landlords often exclude certain breeds due to homeowners insurance requirements. Even if you have the dog registered as a service animal, landlords don't have to rent to you as it could affect their ability to obtain/maintain homeowners insurance or negatively impact their premium. Also, MA housing laws favor tenants more so than landlord so they're more cautious.

You may be able to convince someone to rent to you if you obtain renters insurance with a high liability limit.

Are you looking to rent short-term while looking for a home? Would you be open to RI?

[miu]

^^^ Good point. It's nearly impossible to find rentals that take pitbulls.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by YellowVW

Landlords often exclude certain breeds due to homeowners insurance requirements. Even if you have the dog registered as a service animal, landlords don't have to rent to you as it could affect their ability to obtain/maintain homeowners insurance or negatively impact their premium. Also, MA housing laws favor tenants more so than landlord so they're more cautious.

You may be able to convince someone to rent to you if you obtain renters insurance with a high liability limit.

Are you looking to rent short-term while looking for a home? Would you be open to RI?

While I would agree that many landlords will not rent to you if your dog is a so called "aggressive breed," I will add that it would be illegal for a landlord to reject your application based on the breed or type of animal you have for a service animal. That would be considered discriminatory. If a landlord even asks for proof that an animal is a service animal you can sue their pants off. You have to be VERY careful with these discrimination issues. There was a case in MA not too long ago where a woman felt discriminated against because during a showing she was casually asked "where are you from?" because she had an accent. She was not denied tenancy but later sued on the grounds that the question basically made her feel uncomfortable and discriminated against.

This being said, much like landlords who own units with lead paint and who don't want to delead in order to rent to a family with children under 6, they will find another "legal" reason to reject your application.

[YellowVW]

^ This is why owning rentals is a PITA and just not worth it.

Back to OP, if you're open to RI, where your $ could take you further in certain towns (even in south coast, MA), look into Meeting Street in Providence.

[ECPCVC]

Originally Posted by YellowVW

^ This is why owning rentals is a PITA and just not worth it.

Back to OP, if you're open to RI, where your $ could take you further in certain towns (even in south coast, MA), look into Meeting Street in Providence.

I don't think ri is known for their autism services. OP, also look into Pennsylvania. People on the national autism boards I go on have been very happy there. It is known as the best bang for your buck in the autism community.

[miu]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

While I would agree that many landlords will not rent to you if your dog is a so called "aggressive breed," I will add that it would be illegal for a landlord to reject your application based on the breed or type of animal you have for a service animal. That would be considered discriminatory. If a landlord even asks for proof that an animal is a service animal you can sue their pants off. You have to be VERY careful with these discrimination issues. There was a case in MA not too long ago where a woman felt discriminated against because during a showing she was casually asked "where are you from?" because she had an accent. She was not denied tenancy but later sued on the grounds that the question basically made her feel uncomfortable and discriminated against.

This being said, much like landlords who own units with lead paint and who don't want to delead in order to rent to a family with children under 6, they will find another "legal" reason to reject your application.

Why is that? And if there is an incident of a "pitbull service dog" attack on a landlord's property, would their insurance cover it? And would the insurance company be allowed to ask for proof of the pitbull being an actual service dog? I'm just really shocked that service dogs don't come with a certification and a doctor's letter stating the need for that dog... that one can show to the insurance company as proof to indicate why a waiver should be granted for having a dog in the property, especially one that is on the aggressive dog breed list.

I am a dog owner and I don't think that there should be any loopholes for owners of dogs and aggressive dog breeds to use in order to force a landlord into allowing their dog into a no-dog property just by claiming that their pet is a service dog.

And to the OP, why did you choose a pitbull over any other non-aggressive breed to be a companion to your son? Why not a lab or golden? Even now, pitbulls are not used as service dogs for the blind.

[miu]

I still think that the OP should look into going back to school and becoming a special needs teacher. She's a teacher already and has an interest in working with young adults. And that would be the best thing that she could do for her autistic child plus giving herself desirable additional job skills.

And since I made my first post in this thread, I've talked to several academic types, and they've told me that many workers in the special needs field were inspired to be there by having special needs people in their own families. And that makes sense to me.

[blueniteflower]

Originally Posted by miu

Why is that? And if there is an incident of a "pitbull service dog" attack on a landlord's property, would their insurance cover it? And would the insurance company be allowed to ask for proof of the pitbull being an actual service dog? I'm just really shocked that service dogs don't come with a certification and a doctor's letter stating the need for that dog... that one can show to the insurance company as proof to indicate why a waiver should be granted for having a dog in the property, especially one that is on the aggressive dog breed list.

I am a dog owner and I don't think that there should be any loopholes for owners of dogs and aggressive dog breeds to use in order to force a landlord into allowing their dog into a no-dog property just by claiming that their pet is a service dog.

And to the OP, why did you choose a pitbull over any other non-aggressive breed to be a companion to your son? Why not a lab or golden? Even now, pitbulls are not used as service dogs for the blind.

LL cannot ask WHAT the disability is but is allowed to require PROOF from a Licensed health professional that there is a disability that requires the service/emotional support animal.

yes, Pit Bulls and other traditionally aggressive breeds can be used as service or emotional support animal. But if the LL requests documentation of the medical necessity, then the renter should provide it. I'm not sure why they would get sued for requesting it. Must be a local law because that's not case in most places.

[chandra808]

Thank you everyone. I don't know how to reply to specific posts so I'll try to summarize here.

About our dog: He is registered as a support animal with a therapists documentation and legal documentation to support that.
He was a rescue dog, born in the wild and abandoned by his starving mother, who happened to be a pit bull. He is very loving and I won't discuss pit bull fear here, it's off topic.
Anyway, about getting schooling to educate our son. I have considered that. Right now it is very time consuming to parent our son and I can't really be successful in school right now. By the time I could, he will be older and I am trying to get him support right now. In the meantime, I practice the methods every minute of every day that I learn from his therapists. I do have to work also so I can't just sit home and teach my son while the bills pile up.

Anyway, thank you for your input, the productive posts have been very helpful.