I am permanently barred from almost every shelter in the Boston area. This happened during my first two years of homelessness in Massachusetts, when the bullying was much worse than it is now.
However, a permanent bar is a permanent bar. If I get barred from the Pine Street Inn, I will have to leave Massachusetts, which also means that I will have to leave all of the support system that I have in Massachusetts and I also will not be able to get the financial help that I need to secure an apartment.
I have a Section 8 voucher, but that does not pay for the first, last and deposit that landlords want from tenants. It just starts paying most of the first month's rent after the tenant signs the lease.
Even though I am working with an agency that will pay the landlord one month's rent to secure the apartment, in addition to what the housing authority disperses through the voucher, I have not been able to get a landlord to accept my tenancy since I was evicted from Braintree Village. Without the help of that agency, it will be even more difficult for me to get a place to live.
Copyright L. Kochman, August 23, 2015 @ 5:41 p.m.
