"Todd Kaplan, an attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, [also] warned renters about hidden fees imposed during the tenancy by the landlord, like pool access or gym memberships. 'Any time a landlord comes to you and says, "We have a new something, a new this, new that," it has to be optional,' he said."
"The Senate on Wednesday moved to repeal a decades-old welfare reform rule that allows the state to reduce and end public benefits for families whose children have excessive unexcused school absences... [Senator Jason] Lewis said advocacy organizations including Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Greater Boston Legal Services had pushed for repeal of the policy for years."
"Legal-aid groups recommend getting free advice from organizations like Greater Boston Legal Services before you hand over money for a disputed charge."
"[GBLS Senior Attorney Todd] Kaplan said this forced broker’s fee — typically equal to a month’s rent — is exactly the kind of practice the law was intended to prevent. He said any arrangement with a landlord to bring prospective tenants to a property functions as a contract, and it’s the landlord who must pay the fee."
"During the Monday appointment [with ICE], Mariola was informed that she will receive a 'Reasonable Fear Interview,' [her Greater Boston Legal Services attorney] said. This interview...is used to determine if there is a 'significant possibility' that an individual can establish eligibility for asylum or other fear-based relief.
Mariola fled Guatemala after she was threatened while pregnant. She had previously survived the country’s civil war and witnessed an attempt on her father’s life, according to her advocates."