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Being homeless during Covid-19


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Comments

The T has become a moving homeless shelter. If the Governor and Mayor want people to return to work by public transportation they have to come up with a more humane approach to dealing with the homeless than having their police toss them off buses and trains as if they were less than human.

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the first sentance got to me.
even section-8 holders have a hard time g'ing up on: first month, last month, security deposit, real estate fee. at an average of $1,750 each (the first three arguably go towards rent/reimbursed if nothing broken at move out but the last one is extraneous income never to be seen again), this system is designed for rich students from foreign states/countries and not us.

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The city should offer no-interest easy-to-obtain loans that cover the security deposit and last month rent for people below a certain income or no income.

They should also offer a tax credit and additional damage loss protection for small landlords who agree to rent to those coming from homeless and low-income status.

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What do you think the default rate would be on loans to people with no income?

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It's about giving these people a chance. If they can find the $ for monthly rent then they obviously have a job or some source of income. As other commenters have said, there is a big group of people who can afford rent but not afford rent x 3 which is entry fee to rent an apartment.

Even if the default rate was 25% it still would be better than having forgo paying jobs because they can't afford the last month + security needed to rent a place.

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Back in the summer of '84, I lived in a shitty sub-let over the Allston Unos and worked part time doing telephone opinion polls. I was as close to hand-to-mouth as I hope I ever am. In mid-August I decided that, rather than move back home, I needed to get a place to live in September. Searching via the Boston Phoenix (that's how it was done back then) I found a place with 4 other roommates in Lower Allston. I suddenly needed to come up with $1200 for first, last, and security. Had it not been for a loan from my good friend Cheryl, there is no way I could have fronted that money and I would have moved away and had a totally different life.

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