In the News
November 22, 2022
Three hour wait, three days in a row: Mass. shelter hotline leaves some families desperate
Long waits on shelter hotlines are putting people in danger: “'I have had clients who went back to their abusers because they weren't able to access a shelter.' Liz Alfred, Greater Boston Legal Services Attorney."
Please click here to read the full article.
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November 12, 2022
How a tweak to a popular rental voucher program is reshaping where people live in Boston
"Every year a child spends in a high-opportunity neighborhood increases the likelihood that they attend college and boosts their lifetime earnings . . . . Living in the midst of poverty hurts people’s emotional and behavioral health and reduces the chances for upward mobility. Lauren Song, a housing attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, described landing in a high-opportunity area simply: 'That is the golden ticket.'"
Please click here to read the full article.
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November 9, 2022
What to do if you are sued on an old credit card debt?
"The most important advice is to go to court to contest the debt. If your case is in the Small Claims sessions (for cases under $7,000) in Roxbury, Dorchester, BMC Central, East Boston, Charlestown or Chelsea, there are free legal services lawyers who can advise you of your rights, and in some cases, represent you that day at your hearing."
Please click here to read the full article.
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October 25, 2022
State launches investigation into whether BPS violates education rights of students with disabilities
"Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Greater Boston Legal Services . . . [allege that] BPS transportation services are 'inadequate, in complete disarray, and disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities.'”
Please click here to read the full article.
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October 24, 2022
For labor trafficked immigrants, T-visas are a life-saving but flawed relief
“It's both that people don't necessarily know about it, but it's also that identifying cases as being appropriate for [T-visas] and having folks who would be able to take advantage of it come forward are difficult things,” said Audrey Richardson, GBLS managing attorney.
Please click here to read the full article.
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October 20, 2022
Innes Redevelopment Breaks Ground Preserving 96 Units of Public Housing
October 18th was the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Innes Redevelopment Project. The newly reconstructed Innes Apartments will provide new homes for the current residents of 96 units of public housing, 40 new middle-income units, and 194 market rate units.
Please click here to read the article.
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October 19, 2022
Advocacy groups decry 'systemic disarray' of Boston Public Schools transportation, special education
"The systemic disarray of the BPS transportation and special education departments deprives thousands of Boston children, many of whom are low-income students with disabilities and students of color, of what cumulatively amounts to weeks or months of learning time."
Please click here to read the full article.
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October 11, 2022
Lawsuit says Mass. residents ‘unnecessarily institutionalized’ in nursing homes should have options for independent living
Six people with disabilities who are unnecessarily institutionalized in nursing facilities, joined by the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court in Boston. The plaintiffs are represented by the Center for Public Representation, Justice in Aging, GBLS, and the private law firm Foley Hoag, LLP.
Please click here to read the full article.
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October 6, 2022
Families face eviction from property near GLX
“We’re looking at all possible options, but there isn’t a guarantee of an option that will actually end up working for these families who are ultimately looking to find stable, affordable housing and hopefully be able to stay in the city of Somerville,” [GBLS senior attorney] Jessica Drew said.
Please click here to read the full article.
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October 5, 2022
How to help Boston's working families struggling with debt
"The debt crisis . . . is not driven by profligate spending. It comes from hard-working families borrowing for necessities because wages have not grown with inflation and unanticipated medical costs and high education costs can create unmanageable financial consequences." Managing attorney of GBLS' Consumer Rights Unit, Nadine Cohen.
Please click here to read the full article.
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September 8, 2022
SJC says Boston judge erred in denying marijuana expungement
“This is huge. It’s a fabulous decision that reflects common sense: It’s clearly unjust to carry a criminal record for something that’s no longer a crime.” - Pauline Quirion, GBLS attorney
Please click here to read the full article.
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August 29, 2022
Malden Commits To Chinese Language Election Accessibility Measures
“This victory for the voting rights of the Chinese American community of Malden is a victory for all our communities,” Jodie Ng, GBLS-AOU staff attorney
Please click here to read the full article.
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June 21, 2022
Jury orders construction company to pay $650,000 to immigrant worker in retaliation case
"Employers who think that they can take advantage of a worker’s immigration status to undermine their their basic workplace rights... will face serious consequences.”
Please click here to read the full article.
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June 21, 2022
Massachusetts bill would auto-seal criminal records for those who are eligible
“The current CORI sealing process has a significant backlog which prevents people from accessing housing and jobs and disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color. The current system is so complicated that people often cannot navigate it without legal assistance,” organizers said in a media advisory. “This bill requires the MA Commissioner of Probation to automatically seal criminal and juvenile records after the applicable waiting periods, without individuals having to file petitions."
Please click here to read the full article.
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June 10, 2022
MBTA still has 'much work to do' to make system ADA accessible
“'It’s hard to believe that the Daniels-Finegold v. MBTA case is 20 years old,' said lead plaintiff Joanne Daniels-Finegold. 'As we stated in the settlement agreement, a safe, reliable and accessible trip should be and must be afforded to all passengers.'
Greater Boston Legal Services, which represented the plaintiffs, said on its website that the settlement will 'greatly improve access for the 200,000 people with disabilities who live in the T’s service area.'”
Please click here to read the full article.
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June 9, 2022
Help Boston’s working families struggling with debt
Many working families often feel shame about being in debt and are hesitant to talk about it. The debt crisis, however, is not driven by profligate spending. It comes from hardworking families borrowing for necessities because wages have not grown with inflation and unanticipated medical costs and high education costs can create unmanageable financial consequences.
Please click here to read the full article.
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May 31, 2022
SafeRent accused of unfairly labeling Black, Hispanic applicants high-risk
“[W]hile SafeRent considers applicants’ credit history, including credit-related information, including non-tenancy debts, and eviction history in calculating SafeRent Scores,” said Todd Kaplan, Senior Attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, “SafeRent’s algorithm does not consider the financial benefits of housing vouchers in assigning SafeRent Scores. On average over 73% of the monthly rental payment is paid through these vouchers.”
Please click here to read the full article.
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May 19, 2022
Mayor Christenson Announces Deal Between Mystic Valley Regional Charter School and Tenants
"We are pleased that the parties were able to come to a resolution and appreciate Mayor Christenson and Alex Pratt’s willingness to facilitate as mediators and work to ensure that these community members are not displaced from Malden,” said Molly Broderick, an attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services. “We know that this is part of a longer term mission of ensuring that all Malden tenants have access to safe, stable, affordable housing and are encouraged by the City’s commitment to working with the tenant organizing groups with the same goals.”
Please click here to read the full article.
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April 11, 2022
Massachusetts businesses not following COVID-19 sick time program, workers and advocates say
"'Without the enforcement, there's always going to be companies to take advantage of that,' [GBLS fellow attorney David] McKenna said. 'It's been totally voluntary cooperation. We try to pressure employers. We tell them it's the law. We tell them they should do it, but it's just totally voluntary whether or not they do.'"
Please click here to read the full article.
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December 14, 2021
Residents Seek to Buy and Preserve Fenway Roominghouse
“There is a dire need for safe and affordable housing for low-income women in Boston. A huge number of low-income women in Boston are forced to live in illegal rooming houses that are not safe, often with abusive landlords,” [Greater Boston Legal Services] said in a statement. “Our Lady’s Guild House currently serves a vitally important purpose to provide a haven for low-income women without any other decent, safe place to live in Boston.”
Please click here to read the full article.
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August 14, 2021
Jobless workers to lose federal benefits
"There are a lot of people out there who can't return to the workforce right now, either because they can't find child care or have health concerns." - Monica Halas, lead staff attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, which works with low-income workers receiving jobless benefits.
Please click here to read the Salem News story.
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August 12, 2021
Lawmakers, advocates push for passage of bills to streamline rental assistance process
“(This bill will) force landlords and tenants to engage with that process outside of court to solve problems without the threat of an eviction hanging over their heads,” said GBLS Attorney Joey Michalakes at a Massachusetts State House rally Thursday. Housing advocates and legislators were among those urging the passage of bills to streamline the rental assistance process and to make it harder for landlords to evict tenants into 2022.
Please click here to read the Boston Herald story.
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July 15, 2021
State may convert child tax credit payments
Massachusetts may convert child tax credit payments; converting tax deductions into cash will help "bridge the gap" for many low- and middle-income families, per GBLS Senior Attorney Melanie Malherbe, quoted in this Gloucester Times article.
Please click here to read the Gloucester Times story.
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July 7, 2021
The money could transform their lives. But thousands of eligible kids may not get the new child tax credit
“'Imagine trying to go on your phone and filling out this complicated form,' said Melanie Malherbe, a managing attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services who has been helping people apply for the credit. The fact that the registration is online and requires people to understand tax terminology made it inaccessible to many, Malherbe said."
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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June 30, 2021
Tenants And Landlords Navigate the Unknown as Nationwide Ban on Evictions Nears End
The federal eviction ban will end at the end of July. For eviction help in Boston and the surrounding area, visit https://evictionlegalhelp.org/ or call our housing intake line at 617-603-1807 and leave a message.
Please click here to read the WBUR story.
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June 24, 2021
Malden Seeks Next Step for Bilingual Ballots
"Illustrating the point and responding to a question from Rep. Tommy Vitolo, Yu Sin Mok, a Greater Boston Legal Services paralegal and Malden resident, transliterated Ultrino's name. She read the pronunciations aloud in Mandarin and Cantonese and offered to post the characters in the chat function accessible to committee members during the virtual hearing.
'I'll already tell you I can't read it,' said Sen. Barry Finegold, who chairs the committee with Rep. Daniel Ryan. 'If you want to post it, great, but I can tell you right now I know I can't read it. Point well taken, so thank you.'"
Please click here to read the Patch story.
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June 16, 2021
'We're Just Asking for Some Compassion': Tenants Urge State Intervention as Evictions Ban Expires
“The CDC moratorium doesn't address the more foundational background questions of, you know, what happens to the money that's owed, and are we going to figure out a way to avoid a person protected by the moratorium from being evicted immediately after it expires?” [GBLS attorney Joey] Michalakes said. “It doesn’t address those questions for the thousands of people who fell behind and haven’t done anything wrong.”
Housing advocates like Michalakes have championed a housing equity bill that would prevent non-emergency evictions and foreclosures during the recovery period after the pandemic. The bill is currently before a legislative committee.
“The bill would make all these resources work together,” Michalakes said, “so that a wave of housing instability doesn't complicate the end of the pandemic and more importantly, the economic recovery from the pandemic.”
Please click here to read the WGBH story.
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June 15, 2021
IRS launches child tax credit tool for low-income families. Community groups say it’s too hard to use.
“The estimates of getting children out of poverty are premised on access,” [GBLS managing attorney Melanie] Malherbe said. “The instructions on the portal are very densely and confusingly written. It’s the opposite of simple.”
Please click here to read the Washington Post story.
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June 2, 2021
Report: Nail salons, workers face steep climb in recovery
Launched by Greater Boston Legal Services’ Asian Outreach Unit and Vietnamese American Initiative for Development, the 'From Our Own Voices' report sheds light on the unique experiences of Vietnamese nail salon workers in Massachusetts both before and during the pandemic. This report is a collection of findings from 52 qualitative interviews with workers from 2016-2020, survey responses from 51 workers and 15 owners during the pandemic, and informal stories from our community partners.
Please click here to read the Dorchester reporter story. _________________________________________________________________
May 19, 2021
Faster reopening in Mass. heightens labor problems
“'On a macro level, if the job that’s available is putting them in a worse place financially, I think that really speaks to the quality of jobs that an employer is looking to fill,' [GBLS attorney Hannah] Tanabe said. 'Workers may be reevaluating what their expectation is of wages and their workplace safety.'”
Please click here to read the Biz Journals story
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May 17, 2021
Report: MA Should Open Earned Income Tax Credit to Working Immigrants
"Luz Arevalo, senior attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services, said the [Earned Income Tax Credit] disparity has existed for decades, and the pandemic put another spotlight on it for many of her clients.
'So many of these workers have the type of job that didn't stop, that didn't cease during the pandemic,' Arevalo explained."
Please click here to read the Public News Service story.
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May 5, 2021
As more states legalize marijuana, people with drug convictions want their records cleared
"Pauline Quirion, director of the Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) & Re-Entry Project at Greater Boston Legal Services and an adviser to Mass CultivatED program participants, said she thinks it’s a good sign when she works with clients seeking to seal or expunge their records because it means they’re focused on securing a career. She said that the adverse effects of a criminal record are evident from their experiences with the job search process.
'Some clients have applied for like 200 jobs and they’re rejected, but they keep applying,' she said. 'So you have to have a lot of stamina to find employment.'”
Please click here to read the BPS story.
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April 27, 2021
Return to school could jeopardize jobless benefits
Monica Halas, lead staff attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, said there are a lot of nuances to the pandemic unemployment assistance rules that would allow people at risk of losing the benefits to continue receiving them. She said even with schools reopening, some people could still claim the unemployment benefits
"If they have a child who can't wear a mask, or if their immune system is compromised, or for some other reason they can't go to school they can still get benefits," she said.
Please click here to read the Newbury Port News story.
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April 19, 2021
A new Mass. women's prison may have disastrous consequences for poor and Black communities for decades, advocates say
“[M]illions set aside for a new prison, and for incarcerating women at Framingham, should instead go toward supporting people in their communities with counseling, transitional and affordable housing, and job training.”
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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March 29, 2021
State considering major expansion of child abuse reporting laws
“'We’re going to say a parent who flees an abusive partner with a young child and is trying to find shelter and can’t find it that night is neglectful because they can’t afford a hotel room for one night and can’t find emergency shelter quickly enough?' [GBLS senior attorney Elizabeth] McIntyre asked. 'I don’t understand how that could possibly be in the interest of children.' McIntyre said a better system for dealing with poverty-related issues would be to steer the family toward resources for getting help, rather than getting [MA Department of Children and Families] involved, which carries the risk of a parent losing custody."
Please click here to read the Commonwealth Magazine story.
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March 21, 2021
‘Afraid of taking the subway’: Atlanta murders raise safety concerns for Asian workers, businesses
"Thao Ho, who works as a paralegal and community organizer [in GBLS' Asian Outreach Unit] to support nail salon workers in Massachusetts, said the industry is staffed mostly by Vietnamese immigrants, some of whom are undocumented.
One salon worker who has been putting in longer hours to earn enough to get by during the pandemic told her she’s uneasy about traveling home later at night than she used to.
'The day after the murders . . . she told me she was really afraid of taking the subway,' Ho said."
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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March 9, 2021
Details released on $75m emergency sick leave program
"Elizabeth Whiteway, a senior attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, who has worked on [COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave] on behalf of the Coalition for Social Justice, said the policy is a way to recognize that there are gaps in existing sick leave laws and all workers need job-protected, paid time off to deal with the effects of COVID-19.
Whiteway said it is a 'public health measure as well as a labor bill' because it will prevent low-wage workers who need the money from coming to work while sick, and potentially spreading COVID-19."
Please click here to read the Commonwealth Magazine story.
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March 7, 2021
At Boston’s public exam schools, it’s equity vs. privilege
”Asian Americans stand in solidarity with the Black and Latinx community in wanting to make sure that there are equitable outcomes and equitable access to public education in the city of Boston,” said Bethany Li of the Greater Boston Legal Services’ Asian outreach unit.
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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February 16, 2021
Coalition Backs New Early Education Access Bill
"Once fully implemented, families earning less than half the statewide median income would be able to access early education and child care options for free, and families above that threshold would pay up to 7 percent of their total household income."
Please click here to read the NBC Local paper story.
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January 27, 2021
SJC Chief Justice Kimberly Budd calls for increased civil legal aid funding for low-income residents
"The proposed increase, [Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly] Budd said, is 'less than one dollar per Massachusetts resident. Or, as [the late SJC] Chief Justice [Ralph] Gants might have said, ‘It’s less than the cost of a soda at McDonald’s.’ Who would not spare an extra soda to extend legal aid to a single parent and children facing eviction, a veteran who needs help obtaining benefits, a senior struggling with debt suits, or a spouse seeking protection from domestic violence?'”
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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January 8, 2021
Local organizations, Mayor’s office, respond to restoration of DACA
“Despite the fact that it’s a temporary solution, DACA does provide work authorization for undocumented young people who qualify. That, ultimately, can be life changing,” said [Bethany Li, director of the Asian Outreach Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services]. “I’ve represented people who have gone from only being able to go to school one day a week, working thirteen hour shifts at take-out restaurants, to graduating from an Ivy League college, as a result of receiving DACA. Seeing how DACA has been able to help some undocumented young people, you can only imagine what it might mean to find a permanent solution for everyone.”
Please click here to read the Sampan news story.
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December 1, 2019
Draconian state child care assistance leaves too many working poor with debt, advocates say
Greater Boston Legal Services is petitioning the state Department of Early Education to revise its child care fee schedule and its policy of terminating parents who fall behind on payments.
“We know the second [a] child is terminated from early education, their life becomes exponentially more challenging. Work becomes a real challenge, and then food and rent become a real challenge.”
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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November 20, 2019
Somerville Activists Seek to Combat Rampant Wage Theft
"[GBLS fellow attorney Ben Traslavina], who has been helping craft the language that would essentially replace the existing ordinance, noted that while it's difficult to prosecute employers, cities and towns have power.
'We do have, as a municipality, the power to decide what businesses can work in our community.' "
Please click here to read the Patch story.
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October 3, 2019
'My Family Will Fight': One Cambodian Refugee's Check-In With ICE
" ‘I start from nothing to something. I have a home, two pets, a car, and a family. The American dreams. Even though I'm living with fear, I'm still making it work for my family," [GBLS client Saray Im] said. ‘I can't give up.' "
Please click here to read the WBUR story.
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September 28, 2019
Asian American groups oppose Cambodian refugee deportations
" ‘In Massachusetts, the state with the nation’s second largest Cambodian community, at least 10 residents have received them' ", said Bethany Li, director of GBLS’ Asian Outreach Project.
Please click here to read the Associated Press story.
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September 11, 2019
Massachusetts Considers Bills To Protect Homeowners From Punitive Tax Liens
" ‘No one’s ever told if your home is sold at tax foreclosure, you lose everything,’ said Todd Kaplan, GBLS Senior Attorney. ‘That's for most people inconceivable and counterintuitive. In a regular foreclosure when you have a mortgage, they sell your property and they give you back the balance.' "
Please click here to read the WGBH News story.
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July 31, 2019
New Web Tool Aims To Help Mass. Eviction Defendants Without Lawyers
“The nonprofit Greater Boston Legal Services says it's now trying to “level the playing field” with the release of a web tool to help give legal guidance to people facing eviction.
‘It helps them with the very basics,’ said Quinten Steenhuis, an attorney at GBLS and creator of the online tool, ‘which is filling out paperwork that they can use to lay out their case and to explain to the judge, and to the other side, why they should not be evicted.’ ”
Please click here to read the WBUR story.
Please click here to read the Boston.com Real Estate article.
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July 23, 2019
Despite fears of raids, community advocates say now is the time for immigrants to step into Massachusetts courts
" ‘I think it’s important for people to know what their rights are, especially at this moment when people are so under attack, whether it’s for real or whether it’s rhetoric,’ said John Willshire Carrera, co-managing director of the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic at GBLS."
Please click here to read the MassLive story.
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July 16, 2019
Coalition working to significantly increase welfare benefits to ‘lift kids out of deep poverty’
“ 'Currently, families are trying to survive on only about one-third of the federal poverty level, and it just doesn’t add up no matter how carefully a parent tries to budget in a high-cost state like Massachusetts,' said Naomi Meyer, an attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services and a coalition leader."
Please click here to read the MassLive story.
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July 9, 2019
Happy Lamb Hot Pot workers welcome wage complaint settlement
Represented by GBLS, fourteen former employees of Happy Lamb Hot Pot have settled their lawsuit, which sought hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for wage theft and other illegal practices, against the restaurant. "Wage theft violations are rampant in low-wage worker industries,” GBLS Senior Attorney Bethany Li said. “A lot of workers can feel like there’s no point and they’re scared. It’s incredible that, in this current climate, workers are willing to assert their rights to work in an environment that’s fair and safe.”
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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June 12, 2019
DACA changes hit local residents hard
"Meg Moran, staff attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, spoke of clients who were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the point where they endured psychological trauma just for fleeing persecution in their home countries. 'This administration is prioritizing all cases of people in detention,' Moran said. 'They’re often saying the reason they’re doing that is it’s people who have committed crimes, but what we’re seeing is it’s really just a more expeditious way of deporting people.' ”
Please click here to read the Bay State Banner story.
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May 13, 2019
Mass. still has no clue how many people’s marijuana records should be cleared
“ ' Sometimes it feels like shoveling sand against the tide,’ said Pauline Quirion, lead attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, which helps seal the records of 600 to 800 low-income people each year. She estimated about 30 percent have marijuana records. ‘It’s the cycle of poverty — you have this record, and you’re trapped in poverty until you can eventually seal it.’ ”
Please click here to see the Boston Globe story.
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April 25, 2019
Decades-old cap on welfare benefits for families is repealed
“ 'One hundred dollars a month can make the difference in whether struggling families can afford diapers, warm clothes, and other basic necessities for their kids,’ Naomi Meyer of Greater Boston Legal Services, said in a statement.”
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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April 18, 2019
More Workers Are Suing Happy Lamb Hot Pot
“Attorneys representing the workers filed a supplemental complaint with the US District Court of Massachusetts, which includes the names of five additional workers, bringing the total number of plaintiffs suing Happy Lamb Hot Pot to 14... Greater Boston Legal Services represent the workers, who are mostly Chinese or Latino.”
Please click here to read the Eater Boston story.
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April 13, 2019
End the energy supply scam now
Greater Boston Legal Services has filed a class-action lawsuit against SFE Energy Massachusetts (“SFE”) for allegedly using unfair and deceptive practices in their door-to-door sales to solicit and sign up Massachusetts families for their costly gas and electricity services. The suit alleges that SFE’s agents misrepresented themselves to potential customers as being associated with the customers’ then current electric and gas suppliers (such as Eversource and National Grid) and failed to properly disclose the costs and terms of their utility services in violation of public policy and Massachusetts regulations.
Please click here to read the Boston Globe article.
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March 22, 2019
Protecting low-income tenants in the private rental market
"Each week, I meet with low-income Asian immigrants who come to our legal clinics in Chinatown to resolve legal issues. Legal issues with housing are among the most prevalent and pressing, particularly in light of widespread displacement and rising rent costs in immigrant neighborhoods including Chinatown, Quincy and Malden."
Please click here to read the Sampan article.
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March 14, 2019
Deaths cited in settlement with nursing care facilities - Lowell Sun
“Attorney General Maura Healey and senior care advocates [announced] settlements with Beaumont and six nursing care facilities that include fines and quality improvement directives after a statewide investigation discovered failings that led to injuries, and patient deaths.
"The human toll that Synergy and other facilities imposed on their residents is unconscionable, as well as one their employees, and we are thankful for this resolution," said Wynn Gerhard, senior attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services.”
Please click here to read the Lowell Sun story.
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March 13, 2019
Massachusetts House - again - votes to lift welfare family cap - MassLive
"The family cap is a failed policy that excludes a child based on when they’re born,” said Naomi Meyer, an attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services who has been advocating for lifting the cap. “Families really need to have all their children supported in order to be able to provide them with the things they need like diapers, clothing and (money) to do the laundry and take the bus and basic needs like that."
Please click here to read the MassLive.com story.
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March 4, 2019
More families, elders have no place to call home - The Patriots Ledger
“Wynn Gerhard of Greater Boston Legal Services […] said her client load has exploded as local rent prices have soared. Many of her clients rely on Social Security or disability payments to get by, and those amounts don’t cover the cost of housing in the Quincy area, she said.
“It creates a real problem for people trying to stay in housing,” she said.”
Please click here to read the Patriots Ledger story.
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March 2, 2019
Medford musician fights eviction from home of 70 years - Boston Globe
“The trouble began after Joe Lentino took a reverse mortgage in 2007 to get out from under his debt. Then he lost some gigs playing in jazz bands. And he started missing tax payments on the modest white house where he’s lived for about 70 years.
Now, the 80-year-old trombonist is embroiled in a legal nightmare, scrambling to get into senior housing before a Texas firm can foreclose on his mortgage.”
Please click here to read the Boston Globe story.
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